Hollywood Composer Harry Gregson-Williams Leased SUV in Fatal Malibu Crash

A 2026 Land Rover Range Rover driven by a 16-year-old boy that slammed into a parked car on Malibu's Pacific Coast Highway, killing longtime Nobu chef Ryo Uchimiya, was leased by renowned Hollywood composer Harry Gregson-Williams, according to state DMV records. The British-born composer, 64, famous for scoring films such as *Shrek*, *The Martian*, and *Gladiator II*, briefly addressed the fatal collision by stating, "This family is grieving just as the other family." It remains officially unconfirmed what connection the teenage driver has to the composer or how the minor obtained access to the luxury vehicle.

The collision occurred early Saturday morning at approximately 6:50 a.m. outside the oceanfront restaurant where the 51-year-old chef had worked for 25 years. Investigators from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reported that the teenage driver was speeding before violently rear-ending Uchimiya’s parked sedan, which propelled it into two other parked vehicles in a chain reaction. Uchimiya, who was resting in his back seat prior to an early morning catering shift, suffered multiple blunt-force injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities stated there were no preliminary indications that the adolescent motorist was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Colleagues and loved ones expressed intense shock and grief following the incident, forcing Nobu Malibu to temporarily close its doors over the weekend. A father of two, Uchimiya was remembered by friends as an avid skier, climber, and talented culinary master who dreamed of opening his own establishment in Long Beach. The tragic collision unfolded just two days after Gregson-Williams attended the Los Angeles premiere of Ben Affleck's new thriller *Animals*, for which the musician composed the score.

The 16-year-old driver has not been named publicly because he is a minor, and law enforcement officials have not yet filed formal criminal charges as the investigation proceeds. The deadly crash has reignited safety concerns along the 21-mile Malibu stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway, an infamous roadway that has averaged roughly four crash-related fatalities annually over the past decade.