A grief-struck Hollywood paid tribute to the popular British film-maker Tony Scott, who leapt to his death from a bridge in Los Angeles bay on Sunday afternoon at around 12.30 pm.

While speculations run rife over why the ‘Top Gun’ director threw himself into the water, an autopsy was carried out on Monday afternoon. On Sunday, the police divers had recovered the great director’s body from water under the Vincent Thomas suspension bridge spanning the harbour. The results of the autopsy have not been disclosed yet.

The 68-year old director, who was suffering from incurable brain cancer, was seen stopping his car, a Toyota Prius, in the middle of the bridge, scaling a high fence and then throwing himself off the 6,060 feet Vincent Thomas Bridge, which rises to 185 feet at its highest point.

The Los Angeles’ Coroner’s Office has declared the death as suicide as, “There’s nothing to indicate it is anything else at this time”, although final word on cause of death will not be released until completion of an autopsy.

The Coroner’s office, however, failed to comment on reports which stated that the police had found a note with contact details, including the phone number of his wife, inside the car and that investigators had also located a suicide note in his office. The contents of the suicide note was not disclosed as the family requested their privacy to be respected at the time.

A sad-faced Tom Cruise, who shot to stardom with ‘Top Gun’, paid tribute to the master of thrills by saying, “Tony was my dear friend and I will really miss him. He was a creative visionary whose mark on film is immeasurable. My deepest sorrow and thoughts are with his family at this time.”

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