James Horner, an Oscar-winning film composer, who wrote the music for the two highest-grossing movies in history; ‘Avatar’ and ‘Titanic’ and whose score from ‘Titanic’ became the top-selling movie soundtrack of all time, died at 61-year-old on June 22 when his single-engine airplane crashed in southern California.

Agentes Michael Gorfaine and Sam Schwartz issued a statement that Mr Horner, who was a licensed pilot, was the sole occupant of a private aircraft that went down in flames in a remote region of the Los Padres National Forest, about 60 miles north of Santa Barbara.

Mr Horner had been one of Hollywood’s most prolific composers since 1980, writing the scores of more than 100 films. He worked with such well known directors as Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Oliver Stone, Norman Jewison and Edward Zwick.

Survivors include his wife, the former Sarah Nelson of Calabasas, Calif.; two daughters, and a brother.