While official confirmation is yet to be released by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the lawyer of James Horner, Hollywood's most sought after composer, sent out a statement regarding the demise of his beloved client. Horner was 61.
"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," Jay Cooper, Horner's lawyer, said in a statement published by Deadline. He went on to say, "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."
On Monday, the FAA confirmed that a plane crashed near Los Padres National Forest located approximately 60 miles to the north of Santa Barbara, according to Washington Post. In a statement, the agency disclosed that the plane was identified as a single-engine S312 Tucano MK1. They further acknowledged that the cause of the said crash is yet to be determined but revealed that the incident occurred "near Cuyama around 9:30 a.m." FAA added, "The pilot was killed."
The same news was later on confirmed by Horner's assistant, Sylvia Patrycja, via social media. "A great tragedy has struck my family today, and I will not be around for a while," she wrote on Facebook. She added, "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 had been one of the most widely commended musicians in Hollywood. He had been greatly recognized for his musical genius as featured in countless blockbusters. According to Fox News, Horner had been nominated for 10 Academy Awards honoring his work on "Alien," ''Apollo 13," ''Field of Dreams," ''Braveheart," ''A Beautiful Mind," ''House of Sand and Fog" and "Avatar," and for his original song, "Somewhere Out There," from "An American Tail." However, his most notable masterpiece was found in the film "Titanic" where the single "My Heart Will Go On" catapulted to the top of the charts and cemented Horner's career as a musical genius.
"My job - and it's something I discuss with Jim all the time - is to make sure at every turn of the film it's something the audience can feel with their heart," Horner shared in an interview with Los Angeles Times in 2009. He added, "When we lose a character, when somebody wins, when somebody loses, when someone disappears - at all times I'm keeping track, constantly, of what the heart is supposed to be feeling. That is my primary role."
