Identical twin brothers died in a car crash early Monday in the close-knit Hollywood Hills neighborhood where they grew up.

Los Angeles Police said Jesse Brackett, 23, was driving north in the 2600 block of Beachwood Drive about 2:30 a.m. when he lost control of his 1996 Acura Integra, crossed into the southbound lanes and struck a U-Haul truck parked at the curb. The impact forced the truck into a 1990 Cadillac Seville parked behind it.

Brackett was killed instantly, police said. His twin brother, David, who was riding in the front passenger seat, died less than an hour later at a hospital, police said.

The crash occurred about a block south of the Beachwood Market, a community shopping and gathering place where both brothers had worked for a time in 2001 and 2002. They and their parents, Betsi and Alan L. Brackett, were well-known in Beachwood Canyon, an upscale community below the Hollywood sign. Beachwood, sometimes called Hollywoodland after the 1920s real estate tract that launched the community, is home to many in the entertainment industry.

"It's quite a shock. It's really affecting everyone," Alex Papalexis, manager of the Beachwood Market, said Monday. One of the market's employees has known the twins' mother since she was pregnant with them, he added.

The LAPD's West Traffic Division is investigating the crash. Anyone with information can contact Det. Michael Dickson at (213) 473-0234.