Hollywood composer James Horner, who scored the Oscar-winning film Titanic and its mega-hit theme song My Heart Will Go On, died in a plane crash in southern California on Monday, US media reported.

The aircraft came down in the Los Padres National Forest, north of Los Angeles, triggering a fire that charred more than an acre of brush, local fire authorities said.

Star actors from Russell Crowe to Kirstie Alley took to Twitter to pay tribute to Horner, after trade publications The Hollywood Reporter and Variety reported he had died in his private plane.

Director Ron Howard wrote: “Brilliant Composer James Horner, friend and collaborator on seven movies has tragically died in a plane crash. My heart aches for his loved ones.”

Horner, 61, won two Academy Awards for his work on Titanic, one for the score and one shared with lyricist Will Jennings for best original song – My Heart Will Go On, performed by Celine Dion.

Horner also composed the music for Aliens, The Karate Kid, Braveheart and a string of other major films. His scores for Apollo 13, An American Tail, Avatar, A Beautiful Mind and House of Sand and Fog earned Oscar nominations.

US composer Steve Jablonsky, best known for his music in the Transformers movie series, tweeted: “James Horner, thank you for inspiring a young me to pursue a career in film music. Thank you for your music. Rest in peace.”

The Amazing Spider-Man director Marc Webb also paid tribute to Horner, writing on Twitter: “Last time I spoke to JH he was scoring for a kid at AFI. 2 Oscars and he agreed to score a student film! What generosity. #RIPJamesHorner.”

Horner’s attorney, Jay Cooper, said he had not heard from Horner since the crash, but could not confirm whether he was on board at the time.

“He’s an experienced pilot, but I know nothing else,” Cooper said.

The Ventura County Fire Department said the plane crashed at 9.30am (1630 GMT Sunday) and there were no survivors. The cause of the crash was not immediately known.