Tony Scott , the British film director behind films such as `` Top Gun '' and `` Beverly Hills Cop II , '' had an anti-depressant and a sleep aid in his system when he jumped to his death this summer , the Los Angeles County coroner 's department announced Monday . Scott died August 19 after jumping off the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro , California , into the Pacific Ocean , and an autopsy was conducted the next day . The county coroner 's department determined the final cause of his death was `` multiple blunt force injuries , '' with drowning another `` significant '' factor . Toxicology tests , meanwhile , indicated that Scott had a therapeutic level of mirtazapine ( Remeron ) , which is an anti-depressant , and zopiclone ( Lunesta ) , a sleep aid . His death initially led to reports that the director suffered from inoperable brain cancer , but his family disputed he was ailing . The 68-year-old wrote two notes before his death , including a message left in his Los Angeles office for family members , a coroner official said . A second note detailing contact information was found in his Toyota Prius parked nearby , but the notes did not provide a motive for why he took the suicidal plunge , authorities said . Nor did they mention any health issues , Deputy Chief Coroner Ed Winter said . Born Anthony D.L . Scott in North Shields , England , in 1944 , the director got his start as a teenager in front of the camera , starring in his older brother Ridley Scott 's film `` Boy and Bicycle . '' In 1995 , the two joined forces to create the production company Scott Free Productions . Director Tony Scott : An appreciation . Tony Scott became a household name in 1986 as director of the megahit `` Top Gun , '' starring Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis , which he followed up the next year with the Eddie Murphy action movie `` Beverly Hills Cop II . '' He cemented his reputation for big-budget action films with 1990 's `` Revenge '' starring Kevin Costner and `` Days of Thunder '' with Tom Cruise . In 1998 , he directed `` Enemy of the State '' with actors Will Smith and Gene Hackman . Despite the theatrics found in many of his films , he was known around Hollywood for his low-key demeanor . `` He was n't a showy kind of guy , '' longtime entertainment reporter Jeanne Wolf said . His unexplained death shocked stars who worked with him on a long list of successful movies over the past three decades . Denzel Washington , who starred in several Scott-directed thrillers , including 2010 's `` Unstoppable , '' said it was `` unfathomable to think that he is now gone . '' `` He had a tremendous passion for life and for the art of filmmaking and was able to share this passion with all of us through his cinematic brilliance , '' Washington said . While Scott 's movies garnered box office success , they never received the acclaim that generated Academy Award nominations . In 2002 , Tony and Ridley Scott won an Emmy for the television movie `` The Gathering Storm . '' He also was nominated for the Emmy as a producer for the CBS drama `` The Good Wife . '' People we 've lost in 2012 : The lives they lived .
British film director Tony Scott jumped off a bridge to his death on August 19 . The coroner says Scott died of blunt force injuries and drowning . He had the anti-depressant Remeron and sleep aid Lunesta in his system .