Tony Scott was suffering from inoperable brain cancer in the weeks leading up to his death, according to ABC News in the US, quoting a source close to the director.
Hollywood has been shocked by the sudden death of one of its luminaries, Tony Scott, aged 68
Friends, fans and collaborators have today been struggling to accept the news of the death of the director - Ridley Scott's younger brother - who jumped off the Vincent Thomas Bridge in LA at lunchtime on Sunday.
According to local press reports, the director of Top Gun and True Romance left notes in his car with contact information, and further letters in his office.
Film4 in London have republished a video interview with Tony Scott, which he recorded in 2006 for the release of his film Deja Vu.
In the video, he confided: "I don't socialise, I don't function, I don't function outside my office. I've got this cocoon, this little space that I occupy.
"I'm like this gypsy and I don't really feel part of the Hollywood culture, or part of that system, I feel as if I'm doing my thing."
And he added that he believed he would never win an Oscar. Watch the video here...
WATCH: Tony Scott's top 15 films here - which is your favourite?