British filmmaker Tony Scott, director of Top Gun, has died after jumping from a bridge in Los Angeles.

Scott, 68, was seen parking his car and jumping from the Vincent Thomas Bridge over Los Angeles Harbor at 12.30pm local time on Sunday (August 19). According to official sources quoted in the Daily Breeze, Scott leapt “without hesitation”.

A suicide note was found inside Scott’s car, a black Toyota Prius, said US Coast Guard Lt Jennifer Osburn. A representative from the LA County Coroner’s Office told the BBC: “We have no reason to believe it was not a suicide.”

The director, whose full name was Antony David Scott, grew up in the north of England with his older brother Ridley Scott, who also became a famous filmmaker. After beginning his career shooting TV commercials, Tony Scott went on to direct 16 full-length movies, including 1986’s Top Gun, 1987’s Beverly Hills Cop II, 1990’s Days Of Thunder and 1995’s Crimson Tide. His most recent film was 2010’s Unstoppable, which starred Denzel Washington and Chris Pine.

In addition, Scott served as an executive producer on several US TV series including The Good Wife, which begins its fourth season next month (September). He also directed two music videos, for Kenny Loggins’s 1986 hit ‘Danger Zone’, which famously appeared in Top Gun, and George Michael’s 1988 US Number One ‘One More Try’.

Tony Scott is survived by his third wife, Donna, and their twin sons, Frank and Max. The couple met when she appeared alongside Tom Cruise in Scott’s 1990 movie Days Of Thunder and married four years later.