Movie directorTony Scotthas died after jumping from a bridge in Los Angeles.
The 68-year-old Briton, the younger brother of director Ridley Scott, was responsible for Top Gun, Days Of Thunder and Beverly Hills Cop II - among other blockbusters.
He leapt from the Vincent Thomas Bridge - which connects San Pedro and Terminal Island in Los Angeles - and a suicide note is reported to have been found in his car nearby.
Tony and Ridley, who both originally hailed from North Shields in north east England, jointly owned a company called Scott Free Productions - and were apparently working on a project called Killing Lincoln.
The Los Angeles County Coroner's office is reported by The Sun to have confirmed that Scott's death is being treated as a suicide.
He was married to the actress Donna Scott and they had twin sons together.
Stars and other filmmakers paid tribute to him on Twitter after the sad news broke.
Director Ron Howard wrote: "No more Tony Scott movies. Tragic day."
And Stephen Fry tweeted: "Deeply saddened to hear the news about Tony Scott. A fine film-maker and the most charming, modest man."