Film director Tony Scott in bridge death

Tony Scott, director of such Hollywood hits as Top Gun, Days Of Thunder and Beverly Hills Cop II, has died after jumping off a bridge in Los Angeles, US authorities said yesterday.

The 68-year-old’s death is being investigated as a suicide, Los Angeles County Coroner’s Lieutenant Joe Bale said.

“I can confirm that Tony Scott has passed away. The family asks that their privacy is respected at this time,” Mr Scott’s spokesman, Simon Halls, said in a statement.

Several people called emergency services at around 12.35 p.m. local time on Sunday to report that someone had jumped from the Vincent Thomas Bridge spanning San Pedro and Terminal Island in Los Angeles Harbour, according to Los Angeles Police Lieutenant Tim Nordquist.

A dive team with Los Angeles Port Police pulled Mr Scott’s body from the murky water several hours later, Lt Nordquist said.

The body was taken to a dock in Wilmington and then handed over to the county coroner’s office.

One lane of the eastbound side of the bridge was closed to traffic during the investigation.

Cargo vessels moved at reduced speeds through the east side of the port’s main channel during the search, said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Investigators found a note in Mr Scott’s black Toyota Prius, which was parked on the bridge, according to the Los Angeles Times. That note listed contact information. A suicide note was later found at his office.

Mr Scott was married to actress Donna Scott, who appeared in several of her husband’s films. They have twin sons.

British-born Scott, who lived in Beverly Hills, was the younger brother of producer and director Ridley Scott.

Distinct visual styles mark both siblings’ films - Ridley Scott mastering the creation of entire worlds with such films as Gladiator, Blade Runner, Alien and this year’s Prometheus, and Tony Scott known for hyper-kinetic action and editing on such films as his most recent, the runaway train thriller Unstoppable, starring regular collaborator Denzel Washington.

Tony Scott was a thrill-seeker himself in his personal life, an avid rock climber who also liked driving fast cars and motorcycles. But film-making was his real thrill.

“The biggest edge I live on is directing. That’s the most scary, dangerous thing you can do in your life,” he said in an interview for his 1995 naval adventure Crimson Tide.

“The scariest thing in my life is the first morning of production on all my movies.

“It’s the fear of failing, the loss of face and a sense of guilt that everybody puts their faith in you and not coming through.”