Oscar-winning film composer James Horner sadly died in a plane crash Monday morning, June 22, 2015. Reports had come in that a small plane had crashed about 60 miles North of Santa Barbara, and a call to emergency services came in at 9:30am. The pilot of the plane was originally unidentified, though the plane was known to be registered to Horner. Now it’s been confirmed that Horner was in fact flying that plane. He was 61. Being a big collector of film scores, and a fan of his work, it breaks my heart to report this news. James was responsible for some of my favorite film soundtracks through the years, and he no doubt would have had many more works to offer in the future.

A frequent collaborator with noted directors like James Cameron and Ron Howard, James Horner was nominated eight times for a Best Original Score Oscar (including twice in 1996 for APOLLO 13 and BRAVEHEART), and won the Academy Award for his work on TITANIC. Beginning his career in film music in the late 1970s, Horner’s first notable works included BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS and HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP in 1980, and WOLFEN in 1981. But 1982 put him on the map as a big budget go-to composer after his impressive work on both 48 HRS and STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN. The very next year he cranked out eight scores, including KRULL, GORKY PARK and UNCOMMON VALOR. James returned to score STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK in 1984. The rest of the 80s included selections like COCOON and COMMANDO in 1985, ALIENS and AN AMERICAN TAIL in 1986, WILLOW in 1988, and FIELD OF DREAMS and GLORY in 1989. The 1990s also brought memorable soundtracks like THE ROCKETEER in 1991 (a personal favorite), PATRIOT GAMES and SNEAKERS in 1992, SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISHER and THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE in 1993, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER and LEGENDS OF THE FALL in 1994, the aforementioned APOLLO 13 and BRAVEHEART in 1995, RANSOM in 1996, TITANIC in 1997, and DEEP IMPACT and THE MASK OF ZORRO in 1998. He entered the new millennium with works like THE PERFECT STORM in 2000, ENEMY AT THE GATES and A BEAUTIFUL MIND in 2001, THE MISSING and HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG in 2003, TROY in 2004, THE NEW WORLD in 2005, APOCALYPTO in 2006, AVATAR in 2009, and THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN in 2010. Audiences will soon hear his work in the boxing drama SOUTHPAW starring Jake Gyllenhaal, and he was slated to return working with James Cameron on the next two AVATAR films.

Horner was born in Los Angeles, but would later train at the Royal College of Music in London, England. He returned to L.A. in the 70s, earned a Bachelor’s degree in music at USC, and eventually a Master’s degree at UCLA where he also taught music theory, and ultimately achieved a Ph.D. in Music Composition and Theory. To put it simply, the guy did his homework. Horner’s death was confirmed by his assistant Sylvia Patrycja on Facebook:

Hollywood and the entertainment industry has lost a true legend this week, and there’s no doubt many in the business will be struck by James Horner’s sudden and tragic passing. Though as Sylvia said above, he died doing something he loved, so perhaps it’s an oddly poetic ending. I’ll always have fond memories of Horner’s many works, most of which I own and frequently listen to while working at home. I’ve posted a few examples below of just how great his contributions could be. Rest in peace, James… the sounds you’ve left behind will live forever.

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