Tony Scott: Dead at 68

[American Patriot]

Committed suicide. Jumped off a bridge.

'Top Gun' director Tony Scott jumps to his death from L.A. bridge

Tony Scott, a director known for 'Top Gun' and a producer, jumped off the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro without hesitation, witnesses tell police.

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Director and producer Tony Scott jumped to his death from the Vincent Thomas Bridge on Sunday afternoon, Los Angeles police said. (Gus Ruelas, Associated Press / October 26, 2010)

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By Andrew Blankstein and John Horn, Los Angeles Times August 19, 2012, 11:12 p.m.

"Top Gun" director Tony Scott jumped to his death from the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro on Sunday afternoon. He was 68.
His body was pulled out of the water by Los Angeles Port Police, who were the first on the scene.
Several witnesses told police they saw Scott get out of his Toyota Prius, which was parked on the bridge, about 12:30 p.m. Then he scaled an 8- to 10-foot fence and jumped off without any hesitation, law enforcement sources said.
A source said officials looked inside the car and determined it belonged to the famed action-movie director and producer. A note listing contact information was inside. A suicide note was later found in his office. Its contents were not revealed.
RELATED: Witnesses saw Scott leap off bridge without hesitation
The coroner's office identified Scott on Sunday evening.
Scott was a respected director and producer who made "Man on Fire," "Enemy of the State" and "Beverly Hills Cop II."
The last film he directed was"Unstoppable,"a 2010 thriller about a runaway freight train.
His career in television included executive producing the series"The Good Wife"and "Numb3rs," both on CBS.
The British director, who lived in Beverly Hills, was best known for the 1986 hit "Top Gun," starring Tom Cruise as a Navy aviator. The movie grossed $21.6 million in its first 11 days of release.
PHOTOS: Tony Scott behind the camera
Scott was one of three sons born to working-class parents in northern England.
He established his career as a commercial director and continued to make television spots late into his career. Before becoming a filmmaker, Scott was a painter.
Distinguished by a kinetic visual style that aimed to take audiences into his high-octane action scenes, Scott also produced a number of blockbuster movies, most recently "Prometheus,"directed by his brother Ridley Scott, and "The A-Team."
At the time of his death, he had recently completed filming on "Out of the Furnace," a drama he was producing about an ex-con starring Christian Bale. The movie is set to come out next year.
Scott was also preparing to produce a science-fiction drama called "Ion" and had served as executive producer on "Stoker," set to come out next March.
RELATED: Divers took hours to find Scott's body
His debut feature, 1983's vampire movie "The Hunger," starred Catherine Deneuve and established Scott's cinematic style. He followed that movie with "Top Gun," which not only boosted the career of Tom Cruise but also ushered in a series of Scott's action movies, which included "Days of Thunder," also starring Cruise, and "Crimson Tide," starring Denzel Washington.
While his movies were consistent box-office hits, he rarely attracted critical praise and was never nominated for an Academy Award.
He was more successful with reviewers in television, however, for his work on "The Good Wife."
Simon Halls, a spokesman for Scott's family, confirmed the death and said the family asked "that their privacy be respected at this time."
Scott was married three times and had twin sons with his third wife, actress and model Donna Wilson.

[catfish]

This is a bummer. While I enjoyed his older brother's movies, especially his earlier work, much more, Tony Scott was pretty damn good too. Probably my favorite was "Crimson Tide" with Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington, two of my favorite actors going toe to toe on a sub, awesome movie. He had a very distinct style, which I didn't always care for, sometimes it worked for me like in "Man on Fire", while other times it made me enjoy the movie a little less, like "Unstoppable". Either way there was no mistaking it.

Mostly I'm saddened by the way he ended his life, mostly. A very successful director, pretty much at the top of his game and with a wife and sons ended it all by jumping of a bridge. Seems a little undignified, if that's even possible. I'm very sorry for his family.

[Malsua]

He took the coward's way out.

I suspect he's one of those direct influences towards the hyper cutting, shakey cam, scene shifting horseshit we see in many action movies these days.

Some of his earlier movies I really enjoyed...upon review, I realized what a douche chill inspiring movies they were. Top gun for example. It was a movie about a man's struggle against his own latent homosexuality.

Days of Thunder? Top gun on the ground, Nicole kidman reprising the role of Kelly McGillis as being the temptation to the straight way.

Man on fire? Uh, the title gives away the homo theme.

Enemy of the State? Clearly it's about the persecution of homosexuals.

Crimson Tide? Sweaty men in a confined space. Do I need to even say it? Overtly it was about the Norks or someone fueling their rockets...but it was really about one man struggling with his need for man on man action.

[catfish]

You might be on to something Malsua, In Man on Fire he did shove a bomb up that guys ass. And in Top Gun they "topped" a Russian fighter. Russia. Bear. Get it? This calls for a Tony Scott movie marathon to find out if this theory is correct. I'll bring the lotion.

[Ryan Ruck]

[Malsua]

Proof...

[American Patriot]

oh... no you DID NT!

LOL

This calls for a Tony Scott movie marathon to find out if this theory is correct. I'll bring the lotion.

[American Patriot]

Aug 21, 2012 Tony Scott's family: Director did not have brain cancer



By Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY
Updated 19m ago





CAPTION

By Steve Granitz, WireImage

The "why" of Tony Scott's suicide continues to baffle, as conflicting stories are emerging about the director's health.
The Los Angeles Coroner's office says that an autopsy was conducted on Scott, 68, who jumped off a Los Angeles bridge to his death on Sunday afternoon. A final cause of death, however, will not be available until toxicology and other test results are completed in several weeks.


More: Tony Scott's most famous film credits
ABCNews.com initially reported Monday that a source said Scott had an inoperable brain tumor. The site later changed the story to say the "cancer report appears in doubt."


On Monday evening, Craig Harvey, a chief for the coroner's office said, "The family told us it is incorrect that he has inoperable brain cancer," reports the Los Angeles Times.


Meanwhile, the New York Post reports that Scott recently told friends he had a hip operation, but many feared it was a recurrence of cancer.


"He has been suffering from cancer and he had a relapse," a source close to the director told The Post. Another source said, "He had been in the hospital earlier this summer, in the past few months, and he had been recuperating. The official story was it was a hip operation, but people suspected he underwent another cancer operation." A third source added, "He did have cancer, and for a while, he was cancer-free."


TMZ reports that Donna Scott, Tony's wife, told investigators that reports of brain cancer are "absolutely false." She added, according to TMZ, that Scott did not have any other severe medical issues.


Simon Halls, a spokesman for Scott and his older brother, Oscar-winning director Ridley Scott, issued a statement Monday saying, "The family asks that their privacy is respected at this time."

[Malsua]

They need to release the Suicide note.

[American Patriot]

It's California. They probably think the HIPPA laws cover that.