James Horner, a two-time Oscar winner and composer of many scores for motion pictures such as Braveheart, A Beautiful Mind, Field of Dreams, Apollo 13, An American Tail, The Lady in Red (1979), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Red Heat, Glory, The Rocketeer , Patriot Games, Searching for Bobby Fischer, Jumanji, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Troy, The Amazing Spider-Man, and the blockbuster Titanic, died when the plane he was piloting crashed just north of Santa Barbara, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Officials knew shortly after the accident that the plane was Horner’s but it took several hours for the body to be identified as that of the composer.
Sylvia Patrycja, identified on Horner’s biography as his assistant, left a note on Facebook: “A great tragedy has struck my family today, and I will not be around for a while. I would like some privacy and time to heal. We have lost an amazing person with a huge heart, and unbelievable talent. He died doing what he loved. Thank you for all your support and love and see you down the road. Love Sylvia.”
Listen to the music from Titanic, for which he won two Oscars, below:
