David Thornton, an executive at Paramount Pictures, was found dead this week in what the L.A. County Coroner’s office says was an “apparent suicide.” He was 60. Thornton was SVP Licensing Operations had worked at the studio since 1998.

His body was found Wednesday by passersby on River Tree Lane near his home in Valencia. Thornton died from a gunshot wound to the head, Sheriff’s detectives said a handgun was found nearby. The Coroner’s Office said he died Wednesday.

“David was passionate about his work, his colleagues and being part of Paramount,” a spokesperson for the studio said. “We are saddened by his passing and offer our condolences to his family.”

A graduate of Pomona College, he’d been an Executive VP at the Landmark Entertainment Group before joining Paramount. He also served as a guest lecturer at the California Institute of the Arts, which he described as “very rewarding.”