The Oscar-winning composer, who wrote the scores to Titanic and Avatar, has died in a California plane crash.
The 61-year-old was the sole passenger aboard a small private plane that crashed to the north of Santa Barbara, California, on Monday morning. He was a trained pilot.
Horner had a prolific record of movie scores, having written for blockbusters such as Titanic, Avatar, A Beautiful Mind, Aliens and Braveheart.
Director James Cameron, for whom Horner scored some of his best-known pieces, said of Horner in 2001: “In Titanic, I challenged you to do an emotionally powerful score without violinists, and with the use of haunting vocals and bittersweet Celtic pipes, you reinvented the romantic score.”
There is nothing that shaped my movie-going experience more than the musical genius of James Horner. He will live on through the ages.
— Rob Lowe (@RobLowe) June 23, 2015
Other celebrities to offer their condolences include Beautiful Mind director Ron Howard, who tweeted: “Brilliant Composer James Horner, friend & collaborator on 7 movies has tragically died in a plane crash. My heart aches for his loved ones.”
Russell Crowe, who starred in Howard’s Oscar-winning film, said: “My sincere condolences to the family, loved ones and friends of James Horner.”
Horner started playing the piano aged five and spent his early years in London, where he attended the Royal College of Music.