Famed Film Composer James Horner Feared Dead in Plane Crash
UPDATE: Assistant Confirms He Perished in Monday Morning Accident
[UPDATE]: Horner’s death has been confirmed by his assistant, Sylvia Patrycja. “We have lost an amazing person with a huge heart and unbelievable talent,” Patrycja wrote Monday night on Facebook. “He died doing what he loved. Thank you for all your support and love and see you down the road.”
[ORIGINAL REPORT]:Los Angeles and international media organizations are reporting that the single-engine plane that crashed Monday morning just north of Santa Barbara County is registered to Oscar-winning film composer James Horner.
The plane’s pilot, who has not been identified, was killed in the accident, and an attorney for Horner told KNBC-LA that he is missing. The same attorney told The Daily Mail that no one has heard from Horner, and that “if he wasn’t in [the plane], he would have called.”
The aircraft went down at approximately 9:30 a.m. in a remote area of the Los Padres National Forest near the town of Cuyama. No passengers were on board. The crash caused a one-acre brushfire, which was quickly contained by Santa Barbara and Ventura county firefighters.
The FAA identified the aircraft as an S312 Tucano MK1, a turbo-prop military plane built in Ireland and flown by the Royal Air Force. Production on the planes stopped in 1995, but they remain popular among aviation enthusiasts.
Horner, 61, owns several aircraft. The tail number of the downed plane has not been publicly released. Santa Barbara officials say they have been told the Tucano indeed belongs to Horner.
The Santa Barbara Independent has reached out to representatives for Horner but has not received a response. This story will be updated with any comments they provide.
Horner is one of Hollywood’s most recognized and respected film composers. He won two Oscars in 1998 for his original score for Titanic and Best Original Song for the movie’s theme “My Heart Will Go On.” He was nominated for multiple Oscars for his work on Braveheart, Apollo 13, Field of Dreams, A Beautiful Mind, and Avatar. His other credits include Troy, The Perfect Storm, Jumanji, Legends of the Fall, and many others.
Horner has a wife and two daughters.
