Oscar-winning Titanic composer James Horner died after a plane reportedly registered under his name crashed on Monday near Santa Barbara, California, his agents confirmed.
In a statement to BuzzFeed News Tuesday, agents Michael Gorfaine and Sam Schwartz said that they were mourning "the tragic passing of our dear colleague, long-time client and great friend, composer James Horner."
"Our thoughts and prayers are with James' family at this difficult time, and also with the millions of people around the world who loved his music," the statement continued. "A shining light has been extinguished, which can never be replaced."
No one else was on board when Horner, a trained pilot, went down. He is survived by his wife, Sara, and two daughters, Emily and Becky.
Horner won two Oscars for his work in Titanic, which included Best Original Dramatic Score and Best Original Song for "My Heart Will Go On," which was sung by Celine Dion.
He was nominated for another eight Oscars for his work on films such as Avatar, A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, Braveheart, and Field of Dreams.
Director Ron Howard took to Twitter Monday night to mourn the loss of a "friend & collaborator."
Brilliant Composer James Horner, friend & collaborator on 7 movies has tragically died in a plane crash. My heart aches for his loved ones.
His personal assistant, Sylvia Patrycja, also mourned his death in a Facebook post, writing, "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."
Local fire crews responded to the crash, which ignited a one-acre brush fire, around 9:30 a.m. north of Santa Barbara in Vetucopa, the Associated Press reported.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
