Lalo Schifrin, the composer of the unforgettable Mission: Impossible theme and over 100 film and TV scores, has died.
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Schifrin’s son Ryan confirmed to Variety that Schifrin died on June 26 from pneumonia complications. He passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles with his family. He was 93.
The Argentine won four Grammys and was nominated for six Oscars, including five for original scores for Cool Hand Luke (1967), The Fox (1967), Voyage of the Damned (1976), The Amityville Horror (1979) and The Sting II (1983).
The Associated Press reported that he also wrote the finale for the 1990 World Cup in Italy, where the Three Tenors — Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, and José Carreras — performed together for the first time. It became a bestseller in classical music history.
In 2018, Schifrin became the third composer in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ history to receive an honorary Oscar. Clint Eastwood, for whom Schifrin composed eight scores, presented the award.
The Mission: Impossible theme alone earned him two Grammy Awards and three Emmy nominations, bringing him international fame. It was featured in the 1960s TV series and has been used throughout the eight Mission: Impossible films since 1996.
Lalo Schifrin’s Mission: Impossible Tracks Have Been Sampled in Hip-hop and Trip-hop
The first Mission: Impossible soundtrack became a best-seller in 1968, with the theme reaching No. 41 on the Billboard pop charts. A track from the second album, “Danube Incident,” has been widely sampled in hip-hop and trip-hop, including by Portishead.
The composer also created memorable TV themes for shows like Mannix, Medical Center, Starsky & Hutch and Most Wanted.
Hailing from a musical family in Buenos Aires, Schifrin began his journey with classical piano as a child. In his early 20s, he moved to Paris to pursue jazz, eventually sharing the stage with legendary artists like Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, and Count Basie..
After moving to America, he started writing for Hollywood, combining jazz, classical, contemporary, and pop music.
Meanwhile, Schifrin’s most recent significant work was a collaboration with fellow Argentinian composer Rod Schejtman. Together, they created “Long Live Freedom,” a 35-minute symphony honoring their homeland. The piece premiered on April 5 at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.
He is survived by his wife, Donna, three children (William Schifrin and his wife Lissa, Frances Schifrin and her husband John Newcombe, Ryan Schifrin and his wife Theresa), and four grandchildren.