James Horner, the two-time Oscar-winning composer, died Monday in a plane crash outside Santa Barbara, California. He was 61.
The Santa Barbara County Fire department arrived at the scene of the crash near Ventucopa, about 60 miles north of Santa Barbara, at approximately 9.30 a.m. and discovered debris. There were no survivors at the scene.
According to CBS2 in Los Angeles, the FAA issued an alert for a single-engine S-312 Tucano MK-1. The crash sparked a brush fire, the station reported.
Ron Howard, who worked with Horner on a number of films including "A Beautiful Mind," confirmed his death via Twitter.
"Brilliant Composer James Horner, friend & collaborator on 7 movies has tragically died in a plane crash. My heart aches for his loved ones," Howard wrote.
In a storied career that began with 1979's "The Lady in Red," Horner scored more than 100 features and earned a remarkable 10 Academy Award nominations. He won two in 1998, for the score of "Titanic" as well as the ubiquitous chart-topping ballad "My Heart Will Go On" (he shared the latter award with Will Jennings).
His compositions were noted for their old-fashioned craftsmanship, the frequent use of Celtic elements (particularly in his work on James Cameron films like "Titantic" and "Avatar") and the reliance on new technology to achieve traditional sonic affects, as with the use of an all-digital choir for "Titanic."
The son of a set designer, Horner was born in Los Angeles and took up piano at age 5. He studied at London's Royal Academy of Music for five years before returning to California for a B.A. from USC. He then earned a doctorate from UCLA, where he worked with Paul Chiara.
