I heard the sad news on the way to work this morning: famed composer Jerry Goldsmith “died in his sleep Wednesday night at his Beverly Hills home after a long battle with cancer.” He was 75. Details or his life and career are touched on in this CNN obituary, among many others online. The breadth of the man’s genius can be gleaned at his IMDB listing. Film fans are expressing their condolences in this Film Score Monthly message board thread.Now the question remains: should I listen to Legend, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Alien, or Poltergeist first? (I know there are many many more from which to choose. Those are just the ones I’ve got close at hand.)
It was Legend and Alien.
Tonight will probably be ST:TMP and Poltergeist.
P.P.S. “The Goldsmith family has asked that donations in his memory be made to either or both of the following charitable funds:
Jerry Goldsmith Scholarship Fund for Film Music Composition
c/o UCLA School of the Arts
Dean’s Office
Box 951427
Los Angeles CA 90095
USA
And
Jerry Goldsmith Memorial Fund for Cancer Research
c/o Tower Cancer Research Foundation
9090 Wilshire Blvd
Beverly Hills CA 90212
USA”