Corona | Coming Attractions

In a shocking news story that is still unfolding, Top Gun director Tony Scott is dead after jumping off a bridge in Long Beach, CA. The body of the 68-year-old filmmaker, the brother of director Ridley Scott, was retrieved by Coast Guard personnel.

According to the Coast Guard, Scott parked his black Toyota Prius in an eastbound lane on the Vincent Thomas bridge at approximately 12:30 PM Sunday. Witnesses claim to have seen Scott climb a fence on the bridge's south side and leap off the side "without hesitation."

A suicide note was recovered from Scott's car but no further information has been released by authorities.

A director for four decades as well as a producing partner with his brother Ridley, Tony Scott was born in 1944. He attracted the attention of mainstream audiences with the 1983 release of The Hunger, a stylish vampire tale that starred Susan Sarandon and David Bowie. With his ability to craft tight, memorable action sequences, use of filters and ability to weave visual images around a soundtrack, Tony Scott made his biggest impact in the world of cinema with the 1986 release of Top Gun. The picture cemented Tom Cruise as a global superstar and was one of the year's biggest movie hits.

Scott continued to make box office hits although nothing ever soared as high as Top Gun. Beverly Hills Cop II brought him more fame but not the same kind of public accolades the first movie gathered. Days of Thunder reunited Scott with star Tom Cruise and was marketed as a racing car version of Top Gun but it couldn't reach the same level of pop culture interest. Scott remained a dependable director throughout the 1990s and 2000s, making solid thrillers and actioners like Crimson Tide, True Romance, Man on Fire, Enemy of the State, Spy Game, the remake of The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 and Unstoppable.

Tony Scott was also a business partner with Ridley on a production company, Scott Free Productions. Together they shared executive producer status on many television shows, such as The Good Wife, and on each others films (Tony was a producer on Prometheus, Ridley's latest film.)

In the gaze of the public eye, Tony Scott appeared to have all the signs of enjoying his life. That's precisely what makes suicide such a tragedy and a tremendously horrific event for the individual's family members and friends. In the days to come we'll learn more about what could have caused such inner turmoil for Tony Scott to consider taking his life, but for now it's important to keep in mind that his family, friends and associates must be in a state of shock. My thoughts go out to them.