Tom Skerritt , the actor who starred in Top Gun , Picket Fences , Alien and Steel Magnolias has died aged 93

His family said in a statement that he died of natural causes. Tom Skerritt, the Emmy-winning actor who embodied a solid, wry authority figure, whether as a flight instructor in "Top Gun," a tough-but-fair sheriff on TV's "Picket Fences" or the doomed captain of "Alien," has died.