Celebrating the life and career of the legendary Ennio Morricone

Last week, we heard the sad news of Ennio Morricone’s passing. The 91-year-old composer was best known for his compositions backing westerns, romances, horror and sci-fi films, died in a clinic after breaking his femur, in Rome.

Leaving behind one of the most impressive careers in film composition, Morricone above all, will be remembered for his hand in bringing the reappraisal of Italian cinema back into the common consciousness with his work on Cinema Paradiso.

He wrote his own obituary, which began “I, Ennio Morricone, am dead,” and ended with a heart-wrenching tribute to his wife, “I am sorry to abandon you. To you the most painful farewell,”

Aside from film scores, Morricone also wrote widely in the pop spheres, working with acts such as Pet Shop Boys, and found himself pushing boundaries with the experimental group Gruppo di Improvvisazione di Nuova Consonanza.

With a career and works this extensive, it is unlikely that this legend will be forgotten any time soon.