Tributes have been paid to Top Gun director Tony Scott after he jumped to his death from a bridge in Los Angeles.
The 68-year-old, originally from North Shields, was best known for Hollywood blockbusters including Days Of Thunder and Beverly Hills Cop II. He was the younger brother of film-maker Ridley Scott.
Scott leapt from the Vincent Thomas Bridge spanning San Pedro and Terminal Island in Los Angeles. Lieutenant Joe Bale, of Los Angeles County Coroner's office, said Scott's death was being treated as a suicide.
A US Coast Guard spokeswoman told local newspaper The Daily Breeze that a suicide note was found inside Scott's car, a black Toyota Prius, which was found parked on an eastbound lane of the bridge.
Film director Duncan Jones, who directed Moon and Source Code, wrote on Twitter: "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." He added: "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."
Shaun of the Dead film-maker Edgar Wright tweeted: "As I hope was evident in my work, I was big fan of his. Rest In Peace, sir."
Film critic James King said the industry had been left in shock by Scott's death, adding the director would be remembered for his "edge-of-your-seat thrillers". He said: "Go buy his films, watch his films, and you'll see an incredibly confident director, so for that person to have taken their own life just seems utterly bizarre.
"I think he'll be remembered as one of the ultimate action directors. He wasn't ashamed by that. Maybe some critics had a go at him because his films weren't intellectually challenging. But when they looked as good as they did, who cares? They were incredibly stylish. He trained in fine art, he was an artist."
A dive team pulled Scott's body from the water several hours after members of the public alerted emergency services, having seen him jump from the bridge.
Scott, who lived in Beverly Hills, was married to the actress Donna Scott, with whom he had twin sons. He ran Scott Free Productions with his brother and the pair were working on a film called Killing Lincoln. Other films produced by Scott included True Romance, Crimson Tide, Enemy Of The State and Man On Fire.
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