Today's Evil Beet Gossip

Tony Scott Didn’t Have Brain Cancer, But People Are Still Awful

A photo of Tony Scott

Tony Scott, the director of such films as Top Gun and Crimson Tide, committed suicide yesterday by jumping off a bridge. But you already knew that. You also already knew that he had an inoperable brain tumor, which seemed like a pretty plausible reason for Tony’s actions. Except now Tony’s wife is telling investigators that he didn’t have cancer, and any reports that he did are “absolutely false.”

Tony’s autopsy is underway, but his brain hasn’t been checked yet, so they can’t confirm or deny the cancer just yet. And I guess it’s not unheard of that a guy would get the news that he has this serious an illness and then make a decision to end his life without telling his family, but it just seems a little suspicious.

But now here’s the second half of this story, the one where people are incredibly, inconceivably awful. Tony committed suicide around noon on a bridge in L.A., so obviously there were people around, right? A lot of those people apparently took photos and videos of the event, and now they’re trying to sell them.

From TMZ:

Tony Scott’s fatal leap off an L.A. bridge was captured on tape by multiple cameras … one showing Tony crouched the moment he began to jump … and TMZ has learned the shots are being vigorously shopped around … for a price.

Multiple people reached for their cell phone cameras when they noticed a man climbing over a fence on the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro in the middle of the day … and continued to roll as he jumped off and plummeted to his death.

Some people took photos … some recorded video. The footage was also captured by a surveillance camera from a nearby business.

TMZ has seen the footage … but we did not purchase the material. It’s unclear if another media outlet has taken the bait.

I don’t understand so many things about this. Why would someone’s first instinct be to pull out a phone and document this? I could understand being in shock over seeing this whole thing unfold, and if the reports that Tony didn’t hesitate at all are true, then how did people have time to take pictures? If you had time to take pictures, wouldn’t you have time to try to help the guy, or at least try to alert someone that this was happening? And then how could you even try to sell that? Is there something I’m not getting here, or are people honestly just this shitty?

12 CommentsLeave a comment

  • People are pretty effed up. One thing I’ll never forget about 9/11 is pictures people posted online of people jumping out of the towers. For some reason there are sickos out there who feel that a very private moment such as that should be shared with others, despite the pain it will cause that persons family if they were to see it.

    Surprised and glad to see that TMZ didn’t buy it, and that I won’t be forced to see it here.

  • “Why would someone’s first instinct be to pull out a phone and document this?” Why would someone choose to commit suicide at noon in the middle of an extremely busy area? He clearly wanted the attention in his death. Everybody in this world just wants attention, regardless of what it is for.

    • No, I don’t think that’s true. He was probably desperate. I don’t think he was thinking how his suicide would affect the world.

  • SOME people are this shitty, not all of them. If there is anything I’ve learned in life is that most people are decent. And even some who don’t seem they are decent just don’t know what they are doing. Of course, people who record a suicide suck, no doubt.

  • I saw someone commit suicide and i can’t describe the shock i felt. Never EVER did i think to film it or take pictures. this leaves me shaking my head…there are some really special people out there.

  • Fuckin ppl these days anything for a buck no matter how bad or sad the situation. You know cell phones can also be used to call 911 assholes.

  • Diffusion of Responsibility (old hat) is the reason people didn’t immediately run to aid.

    Also, if I were the unhappy relative, I’d at least like to see the last few minutes of my loved one’s life. Not right at first, but eventually, it’d help bring closure. That’s pretty much backed up by psychology. So, I’d probably have mixed feelings about it. Most of the people weren’t standing where they could’ve helped anyway. Now, I’d have an issue if they were within reach of the guy and did nothing. I’d at least have tried to reason with the guy.

    But it is pretty assholetastic to try to hock the video before the guy’s even in the ground. If someone shopped that to me, I’d probably have to punch-em in the gob.