Tony Scott, the director of such high-octane blockbusters as “Top Gun” and “Days of Thunder,” jumped to his death from a Los Angeles bridge on Sunday. He was 68.

The authorities are investigating his death as a suicide, said Lt. Joseph Bale of the Los Angeles County coroner’s office. Lt. Bale said Mr. Scott jumped from the Vincent Thomas Bridge over Los Angeles Harbor at about 12:30 p.m. local time Sunday afternoon.

It was not immediately clear what would have driven Mr. Scott to commit suicide. The Los Angeles Times reported that investigators later found a suicide note in Mr. Scott’s office.

Anthony David Scott was born in England on June 21, 1944. With his brother, the director Ridley Scott, he ran a production company called Scott Free Productions. Among his most recent work was the 2010 action film “Unstoppable,” starring Denzel Washington, with whom he often worked.

But Mr. Scott, who was known for sporting a weathered red baseball cap, will likely be remembered most for his seminal action adventure films of years past, especially “Top Gun,” which starred Tom Cruise and was one of the highest-grossing films when it was released in 1986, earning nearly $345 million worldwide, according to IMDb.

His other films included “Enemy of the State,” “Déjà Vu” and “Crimson Tide.” He and his brother were working on a film adaptation of Bill O’Reilly’s book “Killing Lincoln” set to be released next year.

Mr. Scott won an Emmy award as the executive producer of the 2002 television movie, “The Gathering Storm” about Winston Churchill in the years leading up to World War II.

Source: NewYork Times