James Horner, the composer known for his sought-after musical scores for "Titanic," "A Beautiful Mind," "Apollo 13," "Braveheart" and "Field of Dreams," was killed in a plane crash near Santa Barbara, Calif.
Sylvia Patrycja, Horner's assistant, confirmed his death on her Facebook page, stating that: "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."
Early reports from the media said that a plane registered to Horner crashed went down on Monday evening, but the identity of the pilot was unknown. It was confirmed that the composer was the unidentified pilot a few hours later.
Local officials revealed that Horner was flying the small jet when it went down in an isolated area 60 miles north of Santa Barbara, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Horner received an Academy Award for the song "My Heart Will Go On," famously sung by Canadian singer Celine Dion, for the blockbuster drama "Titanic," as well as six Oscars for other classic films namely "Apollo 13," "Braveheart" and "Field of Dreams."
The composer's latest nomination was for his work scoring another well-known James Cameron film, sci-fi hit "Avatar," which was released in 2009, Agence France-Presse reported.
