Stars pay tribute to Oscar-winning composer James Horner

John Boyne, author of the bestselling novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, has added his tribute to the late composer James Horner, who died earlier today in a plane crash in California.

Other artists who took to Twiter to pay their respects included Ron Howard,

Brilliant Composer James Horner, friend & collaborator on 7 movies has tragically died in a plane crash. My heart aches for his loved ones.
— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) June 23, 2015

Russell Crowe tweeted;

My sincere condolences to the family, loved ones and friends of James Horner. #abeautifulmind
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) June 23, 2015

Celine Dion, who sang Horner’s Titanic hit My Heart Will Go On, released a statement expressing her grief. “Rene and I are deeply saddened by the tragic death of James Horner. He will always remain a great composer in our hearts. James played an important part in my career. We will miss him. We offer his family and friends our deepest sympathy.”

Alexandre Desplat, who won an Oscar for his score for The Grand Budapest Hotel, said: “It is a tragedy for all composers to hear about James Horner’s accident. We have lost one of our most talented and respected colleagues. His music will remain always.”

Horner, 61, was one of Hollywood’s best-known composers. He worked regularly with the director James Cameron, won two Oscars for the heavily Celtic-influenced score for Titanic and four Grammy Awards, including two for Titanic for the song My Heart Will Go On. His other credits include Apollo 13, Braveheart, Aliens, Avatar and A Beautiful Mind. Unusually, he had a PhD in Music Composition and Theory.