Devastation as inspiration for A Beautiful Mind dies in accident

The man whose life story was documented in Oscar-winning film A Beautiful Mind has been killed alongside his wife in a tragic road traffic accident this weekend.

86-year-old mathematician, John Nash, whose battle with mental illness was depicted by Russell Crowe in the acclaimed 2001 film, was travelling in a taxi on the New Jersey Turnpike when the crash occurred on Saturday.

The couple, who had been married almost 60 years, were ejected from the vehicle when the driver of their car attempted to overtake another vehicle before crashing into a guard rail on the New Jersey route.

According to police reports, it appears John Nash, who won a Nobel Prize for Economics in 1994, was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash, nor was his 82-year-old wife, Alicia.

It is understood the Nashs, who attended the Academy Awards in 2002 to celebrate the film's incredible response from both the movie industry and wider public alike, were the only fatalities of the tragic incident.

Commenting on the weekend's devastating incident, Russell Crowe took to Twitter moments ago to write: "Stunned…my heart goes out to John and Alicia and family. An amazing partnership. Beautiful minds, beautiful hearts."

Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of the couple at this devastating time.