Lalo Schifrin, Grammy-winning Composer Of Mission: Impossible Theme, Passes Away At 93

Lalo Schifrin, the legendary music composer of the iconic Mission: Impossible theme, breathed his last on Thursday, June 26. As per reports, Schifrin’s sons, William and Ryan, confirmed Lalo Schifrin's death. He reportedly died due to complications from pneumonia. He was 93.

Schifrin penned scores for over 100 films and TV shows. He composed the theme for the original Mission: Impossible television series, which ran from 1966 to 1973 on CBS. The series inspired Tom Cruise starrer franchise which made its debut in 1996. The final installment, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which was released on May 23, has used Schifrin's theme for its opening credit sequences. Apart from that, he has also composed film scores for Cool Hand Luke, Dirty Harry and Bullitt.

He scored music for more than 40 TV-movies and miniseries including Doomsday Flight, Princess Daisy, Out on a Limb, A Woman Named Jackie and Don Quixote, among others. Blue Light, The Young Lawyers, Planet of the Apes, Bronk and Glitter, are some of Schifrin's other TV series for which he wrote themes.

Schifrin received six Oscar nominations, five for original scores for Cool Hand Luke (1967), The Fox (1968), Voyage of the Damned (1976), The Amityville Horror (1979) and The Sting II (1983), and the best-song nomination for The Competition (1980). In 2018, he was conferred with an honorary Oscar at the Academy's Governors Awards Gala. The award was presented to him by Clint Eastwood.

The Argentinian composer won four Grammys, including one for Mission: Impossible theme.

His other credits include London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Israel Philharmonic, Mexico Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Lincoln Center Chamber Orchestra. He was also music director for the Glendale Symphony Orchestra for six years.

Schifrin was born on June 21, 1932, in a Jewish family, in Buenos Aires. At the young age, he received training in classical music and went to study at the Paris Conservatory in the early 1950s, where he became a professional jazz pianist, composer and arranger.

In the mid-50s, he returned to Buenos Aires and formed his concert band. In 1958, he went to the US and made a mark in film and television.

From the year 1957 to 2018, Schifrin released more than 50 albums.

Lalo Schifrin is survived by his wife Donna Schifrin, three children (William Schifrin and wife Lissa, Ryan Schifrin and wife Theresa, Frances Schifrin and husband John Newcombe) and four grandchildren.