Aug 20 (Reuters) - Fellow filmmakers were among the first to
take to Twitter on Monday to pay tribute to Hollywood director
Tony Scott, who jumped to his death from a bridge over Los
Angeles Harbor at the weekend.
The man behind commercial hits like "Top Gun" and "Beverly
Hills Cop II" and critics' favourite "True Romance" took his own
life on Sunday aged 68.
"No more Tony Scott movies. Tragic day," tweeted Ron Howard,
director of "The Da Vinci Code".
"Tony Scott" was the micro-blogging site's top-trending
topic by 1030 GMT on Monday, followed by True Romance, Top Gun,
and Crimson Tide, Scott's 1995 submarine thriller starring
Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman.
Duncan Jones, who made the acclaimed science fiction movies
"Moon" and "Source Code", wrote: "Just heard about Tony Scott
news. Horrible ... Tony was a truly lovely man who took me under
his wing & ignited my passion to make films.
"Awww Tony. Wish you had felt there was a way to keep going.
What a sad waste. My thoughts go out to his wife and beautiful
children."
British-born Scott, the younger brother of fellow
movie-maker Ridley, is survived by his third wife, Donna, with
whom he had two children.
According to Lieutenant Joe Bale, a watch commander for the
Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, witnesses saw Scott parking
his car on the Vincent Thomas Bridge and leaping into the water
below at about 12:30 p.m. local time (1930 GMT) on Sunday.
Katherine Rowe, a spokeswoman for the filmmaker, said in a
brief statement: "I can confirm that Tony Scott has indeed
passed away," adding only: "The family asks that their privacy
be respected at this time."
"GLORIOUS ROAD TRIP"
Richard Kelly, who wrote the screenplay for "Domino" which
Scott directed, joined a growing chorus of thousands of online
tributes.
"Working with Tony Scott was like a glorious road trip to
Vegas on desert back roads, a wild man behind the wheel,
grinning," the "Donnie Darko" director wrote. "I felt safe.
"Tony Scott was the best mentor - when he saw something punk
rock that he could slip through the system ... he pounced."
Scott, born in North Shields, Northumberland, in England,
was frequently seen behind the camera in his signature faded red
baseball cap. He directed more than two dozen movies and
television shows and produced nearly 50 titles.
He was best known for muscular but stylish high-octane
thrillers that showcased some of Hollywood's biggest stars in a
body of work that dated back to the 1980s and established him as
one of the most successful action directors in the business.
He got his start making TV commercials for his older
sibling's London-based production company, Ridley Scott
Associates, and moved into films for television and cinema.
His big breakthrough came in 1986 fighter jet adventure Top
Gun, which starred Tom Cruise as a hot-shot pilot, and he
followed that with another big hit, the 1987 Eddie Murphy comedy
Beverly Hills Cop II.
Other notable directing credits include the 1990 racing
drama "Days of Thunder", which also featured Cruise, Crimson
Tide and the 1998 spy thriller "Enemy of the State", which
paired Hackman and Will Smith.
(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles and Mike
Collett-White in London; Editing by Pravin Char)