James Horner dead: 'His music will live forever' – Celine Dion, Ron Howard and Russell Crowe lead tributes to Titanic composer

Actors, singers and musicians have remembered the 'great composer' with 'a huge heart' on Twitter

Actors, musicians and directors have paid tribute to the late James Horner (Getty Images )

Hollywood director Ron Howard, singer Celine Dion and actor Russell Crowe have led an outpouring of tributes to the late Oscar-winning composer James Horner, who died in a plane crash on Monday morning.

The 61-year-old’s death was confirmed by his personal assistant Sylvia Patrycja on Facebook following reports that he was killed when his single-engine plane came down in California.

"We have lost an amazing person with a huge heart, and unbelievable talent," she wrote. "He died doing what he loved."

Horner wrote the scores for Field of Dreams, Braveheart and Titanic, for which he won two Academy Awards. Dion, who sang the Titanic’s theme tune 'My Heart Will Go On', released a statement remembering Horner as “a great composer [who] played an important part in my career”.

“We will miss him,” she said in the joint statement with her husband Rene. “We offer his family and friends our deepest sympathy."

American composer Steve Jablonsky, who produced music for the Transformers film series, praised Horner for inspiring him to pursue his career in film music. “Thank you for your music,” he wrote on Twitter. “Rest in peace."

Many actors, singers and musicians also recalled their memories of working with Horner on films throughout their careers.

Horner amassed ten Academy Award nominations throughout his life for his scores for Alien, Apollo 13, Field of Dreams, Braveheart, A Beautiful Mind, House Of Sand And Fog and Avatar. He is survived by his wife Sarah and their two daughters.