Titanic Composer's Plane Crashes

UPDATE #2: James Horner's representatives at the Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency have confirmed the legendary composer's tragic death. According to Deadline, the devastating news was confirmed in a statement:

It is with the deepest regret and sorrow that we mourn the tragic passing of our dear colleague, long-time client and great friend, composer James Horner. An avid and experienced pilot, James was flying a single-engine aircraft that crashed in a remote area of northern Ventura County, California, shortly before 9:30am PST on Monday morning. He was 61 years old. 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. A shining light has been extinguished, which can never be replaced. It has been an honor and a privilege to have worked with James since the inception of our agency. For more than three decades, his unique creative genius made an indelible imprint on each of our lives and on those of the entire Hollywood community. There is not a person in our GSA family who wasn’t touched by the power and reach of his music, and who isn’t diminished by his loss. We express our love and sincere condolences to James’ wife Sara and his two daughters, Emily and Becky. And we take comfort in the belief that in his last moments, James was doing something from which he derived such great joy. His spirit will continue to soar, and he will be with us always.

UPDATE #1: According to a statement released by James Horner's lawyer, Jay Cooper, the legendary composer has still not been confirmed as a victim of the tragic crash on Monday. From Deadline : "Although we are all awaiting official confirmation that our dear friend and client James Horner was in fact the pilot, we are shocked and deeply saddened to learn that his single-engine aircraft was involved in a fatal crash yesterday morning in northern Ventura County... Our thoughts and prayers remain with James’ family at this difficult time. We can offer no further comment for the time being, except to ask that the family’s privacy be respected in the days ahead."

PREVIOUS: Authorities confirmed that a plane belonging to Titanic composer James Horner crashed in Santa Barbara on Monday and killed the pilot. At around 9:30 a.m., Santa Barbara County Fire responded to a call of a plane crash in Ventucopa, located north of Santa Barbara between Ventura and Kern counties. The crash sparked a one-acre brushfire, and officials are investigating the cause of the crash.

It was unclear as of Monday evening whether Horner, 61, was on board the plane, and officials did not release the identity of the single victim. There were no survivors, authorities said. Horner's lawyer Jay Cooper told Variety the plane was Horner's aircraft and he had not heard from his client since the crash. “James was a very experienced pilot,” Cooper told Variety. “James loved flying. I don’t know anything more than that.” A representative for Horner did not return Bustle's request for comment Monday evening.

Sylvia Patrycja, identified by the Hollywood Reporter as Horner's assistant, appeared to confirm the death on her Facebook page.

A great tragedy has struck my family today, and I will not be around for a while. I would like some privacy and time to heal. 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. Love Sylvia

Horner is an Oscar-winning composer for his work on James Cameron's Titanic, which led him to nab best original dramatic score and best original song for "My Heart Will Go On." The Titanic soundtrack is the best-selling orchestra film recordings in history and one of the best-selling albums of all time. Horner also did work on Avatar, Braveheart, Field of Dreams, Apollo 13, and A Beautiful Mind.

Image: Getty Images (1)