A sad tune plays as word spreads of the passing of composer Angelo Badalamenti, a music man best known for his work with filmmaker David Lynch, and artists like Dusty Springfield, The Pet Shop Boys, and David Bowie.
Born in Brooklyn New York back in March of 1937, Angelo Badalamenti was taking piano lessons by the age of eight, and playing in resorts located in the Catskills Mountains as a teen. After high school, Badalamenti would go on to study at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, and later to the Manhattan School of Music, where he would graduate with a bachelors degree in 1958, and a masters degree a year later. In 1968, Badalamenti would marry.
1986 would be the year in which Angelo Badalamenti would collaborate for the first time with David Lynch, on the filmmakers feature film, Blue Velvet. From there Badalamenti would go on to create music for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, Wild at Heart, Twin Peaks, and Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist.
When Twin Peaks was revived in 2017, Angelo Badalamenti returned to once again score the series. His work would later be released in September of 2017, a collection of Badalamenti's music from the show, titled Twin Peaks: Limited Event Series Original Soundtrack. Twin Peaks would have an immense impact on Badalamenti's life, the series earning the composer a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance in 1990 for the Twin Peaks Theme, a Saturn Award in 1993 for Best Music, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Soundtrack Awards in 2008, and the Henry Mancini Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in 2011.
Angelo Badalamenti passed away today at the age of 85 from natural causes. The Emmy nominated composer is survived by his wife, Lonny, and his two sons. Angelo Badalamenti's spirit will live on in the music he created, forever in the sounds and music of Twin Peaks.
