Ennio Morricone, the legendary Italian composer who scored over 500 film and television projects between 1960 and 2020, has passed away at the age of 91. According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Maestro, “died Monday in Rome following complications from a fall last week in which he broke his femur.”
Morricone crafted some of the most legendary spaghetti Western scores of all time, working alongside director Sergio Leone on such classics as A Fistful of Dollars, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Morricone also worked on numerous horror scores during his impressive run in the industry. The composer collaborated extensively with Dario Argento, and he scored such films as The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Cat o’ Nine Tails, and The Phantom of the Opera (1988). Morricone also scored John Carpenter’s The Thing, but most of his compositions did not end up in the finished film. Quentin Tarantino would later repurpose much of Morricone’s The Thing music for The Hateful Eight.
The legendary composer will live on through the countless soundscapes he created for some of the most enduring films of all time. The Horror News Network staff sends out condolences to Morricone’s family, friends, and collaborators.
Ennio Morricone photo by Georges Biard.
