Director Tony Scott Commits Suicide, Dead at 68

For films fans, this is an incredibly tragic way to begin the week. Tony Scott, the director of ‘Top Gun,’ ‘True Romance,’ ‘Crimson Tide’ and ‘Man on Fire’ is dead.

Details are scarce at the moment, but witnesses report that Scott leapt to his death from the Vincent Thomas Bridge in Los Angeles. A suicide note in his car (recovered by the police) confirms that this was intentional. He was 68 years old.

UPDATE – ABC News is reporting that Scott had just been diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer.

The brother of the equally prolific Ridley Scott, Tony Scott had his first hit in 1986 with ‘Top Gun,’ which went on to become one of the most iconic films of its decade. He would helm ‘Beverly Hills Cop II’ a year later and would re-team with ‘Top Gun’ star Tom Cruise for ‘Days of Thunder.’ During the ’90s and ’00s, he continued to be one of Hollywood’s go-to action directors, filming ‘The Last Boy Scout,’ ‘True Romance,’ ‘Crimson Tide,’ ‘Enemy of the State’ and ‘Spy Game.’ 2004′s ‘Man on Fire’ was the beginning of a prolific collaboration between him and Denzel Washington and the two of them spent the rest of the decade making ‘Deja Vu,’ ‘The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3′ and ‘Unstoppable.’ His impact on the modern Hollywood blockbuster cannot be understated.

By working with icons, Tony Scott became an icon, forever leaving his fingerprints on the action genre. He is survived by his wife, actress Donna Scott, and their twin boys.