Sad news reaches us this morning that composer Jerry Goldsmith passed away in his sleep Wednesday at the age of 75. Battling cancer for some time, Goldsmith has had a career that spanned over 50 years and gave the world some of the most memorable film scores of all times. Everyone remembers the chilling score he wrote for “The Omen, ” sadly the only one he ever won an Academy Award for despite being nominated 17 times, but Goldsmith is probably best know for writing the scores for films such as “Alien,” “Star Trek,” “Planet Of The Apes,” “Rambo,” “Poltergeist”, “Small Soldiers,” and countless others. Jerry Goldsmith has been contributing music to over 300 feature film and TV productions and stands out as one of the last great composers.

His style was inventive and innovative and he never succumbed to the mediocrity found in today’s scores with their off-the-mill orchestrations and themes. Goldsmith was always ready to push the envelope, whether he was exploring twelve-tone themes, extreme syncopations or deliberate dissonance, Goldsmith always found the right notes for any given moment in the films he has worked on to create maximum impact.

Jerry Goldsmith will be missed sorely and he will always be remembered for the wealth of music he gave the world. The world thanks you, Jerry.