PITTSBURGH — Production has been suspended after a tragic accident on the set of Tom Hanks' upcoming Mister Rogers film "You Are My Friend."
"He had a genuine smile that was contagious. He was my best friend," said Emswiller's wife, Beth Amber.
James Emswiller, a 61-year-old Emmy award-winning sound mixer from the Pittsburgh area, took a smoke break between filming scenes when others nearby said they heard a noise and discovered he had fallen from a balcony, police said.
>> On WPXI.com: Sound mixer dies after fall on set of Mister Rogers movie
He was taken to Mercy Hospital, where he died from injuries related to the fall.
"When I got to Mercy, I didn't know much because they wouldn't let me see him because they were working on him. I guess about two hours later, they came out to tell me he had expired," Amber said.
While it's still not clear exactly what happened, witnesses said he had been leaning against a pole before he fell.
"I spoke to the (medical examiner) today. They called me with the cause of death, which was blunt-force trauma to the head and torso from the fall," Amber said.