‘Mission: Impossible’ Legend Dies After Illness: Lalo Schifrin Was 93

If you’re one of the many people who has to start humming the Mission: Impossible theme as soon as you read the name of the franchise, you owe a debt to Lalo Schifrin. The Grammy-winning composer died last week at 93 from complications of pneumonia.

The Argentine composer is well known for creating many of cinema’s most memorable scores, like Cool Hand Luke, Dirty Harry, and Bullitt, but none of his work is known around the world quite like his title track for Mission: Impossible.

Beginning his career in the 1950s, he was one of the first composers to pull from other genres in his film score work, often pulling from more modern genres like jazz or rock instead of just straight orchestral music.

His heyday was in the 60s and 70s, where he compiled several film scores that are still used and sampled today; for example, rock group Portishead sampled one of his M:I works for their song “Sour Times.”

Schifrin is so famous among composers, in fact, that a 2010 commercial for Lipton that starred him depicted a fictionalized account of his writing of M:I‘s main theme. He has won five Grammys, and was nominated for six Oscars and four Emmys. He is one of three composers to ever receive an honorary Academy Award.

He is survived by his wife, Donna, his three children, and his four grandchildren.