The Nobel Prize-winning mathematician, John Nash, has died in a car crash in New Jersey, USA.

He was 86.

Nash was travelling in a taxi cab with his wife, 82-year old Alicia, died when the taxi cab attempted to overtake a jeep on the New Jersey Turnpike.

It's understood that the cab hit a guard rail, with the driver losing control over the vehicle.

Russell Crowe famously portrayed Nash and his struggles with schizophrenia in the 2001 film, A Beautiful Mind.

The actor took to Twitter early today to express his sadness at the passing of a mathematics giant.

Nash won the Nobel Prize in 1994 for his work on game theory, developing the Nash Equilibrium.

The film based on his life, A Beautiful Mind, won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.

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