Latest news with #Moonlighting
7NEWS
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
Alf Clausen, who wrote music for The Simpsons and won two Emmys for his talents, dies at the age of 87
Alf Clausen, the Emmy-winning composer whose music provided essential accompaniment for the animated antics of The Simpsons for 27 years, has died aged 84. His daughter Kaarin Clausen told The Associated Press that Alf Clausen died on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles after struggling with Parkinson's disease for about a decade. Clausen, who also scored TV series including Moonlighting and Alf ('no relation', he used to joke) was nominated for 30 Emmy Awards, 21 of them for The Simpsons, winning twice. Al Jean, an early Simpsons writer who was one of the key creative figures on the show in the 1990s, said in a post on X Friday that 'Clausen was an incredibly talented man who did so much for The Simpsons'. While Danny Elfman wrote the show's theme song, Clausen joined the Fox animated series created by Matt Groening in 1990 and provided essentially all of its music until 2017, composing nearly 600 scores and conducting the 35-piece orchestra that played it in the studio. His colleagues said his music was a key component of the show's comedy, but Clausen believed the best way to back up the gags of Homer, Marge Bart and Lisa was by making the music as straight as possible. 'Matt Groening said to me very early on, 'We're not a cartoon. We're a drama where the characters are drawn. I want you to score it like a drama,'' Clausen told Variety, which first reported his death, in 1998. 'I score the emotions of the characters as opposed to specific action hits on the screen.' Clausen was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and raised in Jamestown, North Dakota. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 1966, and moved to Los Angeles seeking a career in music. In the 1970s he was a musical director on several TV variety shows including Donny & Marie. Clausen worked as an orchestrator for composer Lee Holdridge in his scores for 1980s films including Splash and The Beastmaster. Holdridge first got the composing job on Moonlighting, the late-80s ABC rom-com detective series starring Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepherd, but he handed the gig to Clausen, who would get six Emmy nominations for his music on it. Clausen won his Emmys for The Simpsons in 1997 and 1998 and also won five Annie Awards, which honour work in animation in film and television. He was fired from The Simpsons in a cost-cutting move in 2017, to the outrage of his collaborators and fans. He sued over his dismissal. Clausen is survived by his wife Sally, children Kaarin, Scott and Kyle, stepchildren Josh and Emily, and 11 grandchildren.
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Alf Clausen, who wrote music for The Simpsons, dies
Alf Clausen, the Emmy-winning composer whose music provided essential accompaniment for the animated antics of The Simpsons for 27 years, has died aged 84. Clausen, who also scored TV series including Moonlighting and Alf ("no relation", he used to joke) was nominated for 30 Emmy Awards, 21 of them for The Simpsons, winning twice. Al Jean, an early Simpsons writer who was one of the key creative figures on the show in the 1990s, said in a post on X Friday that "Clausen was an incredibly talented man who did so much for The Simpsons". While Danny Elfman wrote the show's theme song, Clausen joined the Fox animated series created by Matt Groening in 1990 and provided essentially all of its music until 2017, composing nearly 600 scores and conducting the 35-piece orchestra that played it in the studio. His colleagues said his music was a key component of the show's comedy, but Clausen believed the best way to back up the gags of Homer, Marge Bart and Lisa was by making the music as straight as possible. "Matt Groening said to me very early on, 'We're not a cartoon. We're a drama where the characters are drawn. I want you to score it like a drama,'" Clausen told Variety, which first reported his death, in 1998. "I score the emotions of the characters as opposed to specific action hits on the screen." Clausen was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and raised in Jamestown, North Dakota. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 1966, and moved to Los Angeles seeking a career in music. In the 1970s he was a musical director on several TV variety shows including Donny & Marie. Clausen worked as an orchestrator for composer Lee Holdridge in his scores for 1980s films including Splash and The Beastmaster. Holdridge first got the composing job on Moonlighting, the late-80s ABC rom-com detective series starring Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepherd, but he handed the gig to Clausen, who would get six Emmy nominations for his music on it. Clausen won his Emmys for The Simpsons in 1997 and 1998 and also won five Annie Awards, which honour work in animation in film and television. He was fired from The Simpsons in a cost-cutting move in 2017, to the outrage of his collaborators and fans. He sued over his dismissal. Clausen is survived by his wife Sally, children Kaarin, Scott and Kyle, stepchildren Josh and Emily, and 11 grandchildren. Alf Clausen, the Emmy-winning composer whose music provided essential accompaniment for the animated antics of The Simpsons for 27 years, has died aged 84. Clausen, who also scored TV series including Moonlighting and Alf ("no relation", he used to joke) was nominated for 30 Emmy Awards, 21 of them for The Simpsons, winning twice. Al Jean, an early Simpsons writer who was one of the key creative figures on the show in the 1990s, said in a post on X Friday that "Clausen was an incredibly talented man who did so much for The Simpsons". While Danny Elfman wrote the show's theme song, Clausen joined the Fox animated series created by Matt Groening in 1990 and provided essentially all of its music until 2017, composing nearly 600 scores and conducting the 35-piece orchestra that played it in the studio. His colleagues said his music was a key component of the show's comedy, but Clausen believed the best way to back up the gags of Homer, Marge Bart and Lisa was by making the music as straight as possible. "Matt Groening said to me very early on, 'We're not a cartoon. We're a drama where the characters are drawn. I want you to score it like a drama,'" Clausen told Variety, which first reported his death, in 1998. "I score the emotions of the characters as opposed to specific action hits on the screen." Clausen was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and raised in Jamestown, North Dakota. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 1966, and moved to Los Angeles seeking a career in music. In the 1970s he was a musical director on several TV variety shows including Donny & Marie. Clausen worked as an orchestrator for composer Lee Holdridge in his scores for 1980s films including Splash and The Beastmaster. Holdridge first got the composing job on Moonlighting, the late-80s ABC rom-com detective series starring Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepherd, but he handed the gig to Clausen, who would get six Emmy nominations for his music on it. Clausen won his Emmys for The Simpsons in 1997 and 1998 and also won five Annie Awards, which honour work in animation in film and television. He was fired from The Simpsons in a cost-cutting move in 2017, to the outrage of his collaborators and fans. He sued over his dismissal. Clausen is survived by his wife Sally, children Kaarin, Scott and Kyle, stepchildren Josh and Emily, and 11 grandchildren. Alf Clausen, the Emmy-winning composer whose music provided essential accompaniment for the animated antics of The Simpsons for 27 years, has died aged 84. Clausen, who also scored TV series including Moonlighting and Alf ("no relation", he used to joke) was nominated for 30 Emmy Awards, 21 of them for The Simpsons, winning twice. Al Jean, an early Simpsons writer who was one of the key creative figures on the show in the 1990s, said in a post on X Friday that "Clausen was an incredibly talented man who did so much for The Simpsons". While Danny Elfman wrote the show's theme song, Clausen joined the Fox animated series created by Matt Groening in 1990 and provided essentially all of its music until 2017, composing nearly 600 scores and conducting the 35-piece orchestra that played it in the studio. His colleagues said his music was a key component of the show's comedy, but Clausen believed the best way to back up the gags of Homer, Marge Bart and Lisa was by making the music as straight as possible. "Matt Groening said to me very early on, 'We're not a cartoon. We're a drama where the characters are drawn. I want you to score it like a drama,'" Clausen told Variety, which first reported his death, in 1998. "I score the emotions of the characters as opposed to specific action hits on the screen." Clausen was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and raised in Jamestown, North Dakota. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 1966, and moved to Los Angeles seeking a career in music. In the 1970s he was a musical director on several TV variety shows including Donny & Marie. Clausen worked as an orchestrator for composer Lee Holdridge in his scores for 1980s films including Splash and The Beastmaster. Holdridge first got the composing job on Moonlighting, the late-80s ABC rom-com detective series starring Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepherd, but he handed the gig to Clausen, who would get six Emmy nominations for his music on it. Clausen won his Emmys for The Simpsons in 1997 and 1998 and also won five Annie Awards, which honour work in animation in film and television. He was fired from The Simpsons in a cost-cutting move in 2017, to the outrage of his collaborators and fans. He sued over his dismissal. Clausen is survived by his wife Sally, children Kaarin, Scott and Kyle, stepchildren Josh and Emily, and 11 grandchildren. Alf Clausen, the Emmy-winning composer whose music provided essential accompaniment for the animated antics of The Simpsons for 27 years, has died aged 84. Clausen, who also scored TV series including Moonlighting and Alf ("no relation", he used to joke) was nominated for 30 Emmy Awards, 21 of them for The Simpsons, winning twice. Al Jean, an early Simpsons writer who was one of the key creative figures on the show in the 1990s, said in a post on X Friday that "Clausen was an incredibly talented man who did so much for The Simpsons". While Danny Elfman wrote the show's theme song, Clausen joined the Fox animated series created by Matt Groening in 1990 and provided essentially all of its music until 2017, composing nearly 600 scores and conducting the 35-piece orchestra that played it in the studio. His colleagues said his music was a key component of the show's comedy, but Clausen believed the best way to back up the gags of Homer, Marge Bart and Lisa was by making the music as straight as possible. "Matt Groening said to me very early on, 'We're not a cartoon. We're a drama where the characters are drawn. I want you to score it like a drama,'" Clausen told Variety, which first reported his death, in 1998. "I score the emotions of the characters as opposed to specific action hits on the screen." Clausen was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and raised in Jamestown, North Dakota. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 1966, and moved to Los Angeles seeking a career in music. In the 1970s he was a musical director on several TV variety shows including Donny & Marie. Clausen worked as an orchestrator for composer Lee Holdridge in his scores for 1980s films including Splash and The Beastmaster. Holdridge first got the composing job on Moonlighting, the late-80s ABC rom-com detective series starring Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepherd, but he handed the gig to Clausen, who would get six Emmy nominations for his music on it. Clausen won his Emmys for The Simpsons in 1997 and 1998 and also won five Annie Awards, which honour work in animation in film and television. He was fired from The Simpsons in a cost-cutting move in 2017, to the outrage of his collaborators and fans. He sued over his dismissal. Clausen is survived by his wife Sally, children Kaarin, Scott and Kyle, stepchildren Josh and Emily, and 11 grandchildren.
West Australian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Alf Clausen, who wrote music for The Simpsons, dies
Alf Clausen, the Emmy-winning composer whose music provided essential accompaniment for the animated antics of The Simpsons for 27 years, has died aged 84. His daughter Kaarin Clausen told The Associated Press that Alf Clausen died on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles after struggling with Parkinson's disease for about a decade. Clausen, who also scored TV series including Moonlighting and Alf ("no relation", he used to joke) was nominated for 30 Emmy Awards, 21 of them for The Simpsons, winning twice. Al Jean, an early Simpsons writer who was one of the key creative figures on the show in the 1990s, said in a post on X Friday that "Clausen was an incredibly talented man who did so much for The Simpsons". While Danny Elfman wrote the show's theme song, Clausen joined the Fox animated series created by Matt Groening in 1990 and provided essentially all of its music until 2017, composing nearly 600 scores and conducting the 35-piece orchestra that played it in the studio. His colleagues said his music was a key component of the show's comedy, but Clausen believed the best way to back up the gags of Homer, Marge Bart and Lisa was by making the music as straight as possible. "Matt Groening said to me very early on, 'We're not a cartoon. We're a drama where the characters are drawn. I want you to score it like a drama,'" Clausen told Variety, which first reported his death, in 1998. "I score the emotions of the characters as opposed to specific action hits on the screen." Clausen was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and raised in Jamestown, North Dakota. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 1966, and moved to Los Angeles seeking a career in music. In the 1970s he was a musical director on several TV variety shows including Donny & Marie. Clausen worked as an orchestrator for composer Lee Holdridge in his scores for 1980s films including Splash and The Beastmaster. Holdridge first got the composing job on Moonlighting, the late-80s ABC rom-com detective series starring Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepherd, but he handed the gig to Clausen, who would get six Emmy nominations for his music on it. Clausen won his Emmys for The Simpsons in 1997 and 1998 and also won five Annie Awards, which honour work in animation in film and television. He was fired from The Simpsons in a cost-cutting move in 2017, to the outrage of his collaborators and fans. He sued over his dismissal. Clausen is survived by his wife Sally, children Kaarin, Scott and Kyle, stepchildren Josh and Emily, and 11 grandchildren.
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Alf Clausen, who wrote music for The Simpsons, dies
Alf Clausen, the Emmy-winning composer whose music provided essential accompaniment for the animated antics of The Simpsons for 27 years, has died aged 84. His daughter Kaarin Clausen told The Associated Press that Alf Clausen died on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles after struggling with Parkinson's disease for about a decade. Clausen, who also scored TV series including Moonlighting and Alf ("no relation", he used to joke) was nominated for 30 Emmy Awards, 21 of them for The Simpsons, winning twice. Al Jean, an early Simpsons writer who was one of the key creative figures on the show in the 1990s, said in a post on X Friday that "Clausen was an incredibly talented man who did so much for The Simpsons". While Danny Elfman wrote the show's theme song, Clausen joined the Fox animated series created by Matt Groening in 1990 and provided essentially all of its music until 2017, composing nearly 600 scores and conducting the 35-piece orchestra that played it in the studio. His colleagues said his music was a key component of the show's comedy, but Clausen believed the best way to back up the gags of Homer, Marge Bart and Lisa was by making the music as straight as possible. "Matt Groening said to me very early on, 'We're not a cartoon. We're a drama where the characters are drawn. I want you to score it like a drama,'" Clausen told Variety, which first reported his death, in 1998. "I score the emotions of the characters as opposed to specific action hits on the screen." Clausen was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and raised in Jamestown, North Dakota. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 1966, and moved to Los Angeles seeking a career in music. In the 1970s he was a musical director on several TV variety shows including Donny & Marie. Clausen worked as an orchestrator for composer Lee Holdridge in his scores for 1980s films including Splash and The Beastmaster. Holdridge first got the composing job on Moonlighting, the late-80s ABC rom-com detective series starring Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepherd, but he handed the gig to Clausen, who would get six Emmy nominations for his music on it. Clausen won his Emmys for The Simpsons in 1997 and 1998 and also won five Annie Awards, which honour work in animation in film and television. He was fired from The Simpsons in a cost-cutting move in 2017, to the outrage of his collaborators and fans. He sued over his dismissal. Clausen is survived by his wife Sally, children Kaarin, Scott and Kyle, stepchildren Josh and Emily, and 11 grandchildren.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
The Simpsons composer who wrote show's music for 27 years dies
Alf Clausen, the Emmy-winning composer who scored "The Simpsons" for 27 years, has tragically died after struggling with Parkinson's Disease for about a decade Alf Clausen, an Emmy-winning composer celebrated for orchestrating the mischievous backdrop tunes that defined 'The Simpsons ' for 27 years, has passed away. According to his daughter Kaarin Clausen, who spoke to The Associated Press, Alf Clausen died on Thursday at his Los Angeles residence following a prolonged battle with Parkinson's Disease that spanned roughly ten years; he was 84. Clausen, whose credits include scoring other TV series such as "Moonlighting" and "Alf" (to which he would often quip "no relation,"), garnered an impressive 30 Emmy Award nominations during his career, 21 of those for his work on "The Simpsons," bagging two wins. Al Jean, a longstanding writer on The Simpsons since the early days and a prominent creative force in the show during the 1990s, expressed on X Friday, "Clausen was an incredibly talented man who did so much for The Simpsons." While Danny Elfman is the mastermind behind the iconic theme tune, Clausen came aboard Matt Groening's Fox animated series in 1990, and went on to compose close to 600 pieces, driving the 35-piece orchestra in-studio to bring them to life until 2017. His colleagues always praised his compositions as vital to the series' comedic charm, yet Clausen had a firm belief that the best way to enhance the hilarity of Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa's capers was by playing it straight with the music, reports the Mirror US. Matt Groening, in an interview back in 1996, commended Clausen as "one of the unacknowledged treasures of the show." Hailing from Minneapolis and brought up in Jamestown, North Dakota, Clausen's musical journey led him to graduate from Berklee College of Music in 1966 before venturing to Los Angeles with aspirations of forging a music career. Throughout the '70s, he served as a musical director on numerous TV variety shows including "Donny and Marie." Later, he worked with composer Lee Holdridge as an orchestrator on scores for 1980s films such as "Splash" and "The Beastmaster." When "Moonlighting," the charming detective series from ABC featuring Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd came along in the late '80s, it was Lee Holdridge who landed the composing role initially but eventually handed it over to Clausen, earning him six Emmy nods for his compositions. Notably, Clausen bagged two Emmys for his work on "The Simpsons" in 1997 and 1998, in addition to securing five Annie Awards valuable within the realm of animated television and film. His departure from "The Simpsons" in 2017 was due to budget cuts, prompting dismay among his collaborators and fans alike; Clausen took legal action against the dismissal. Clausen's legacy endures through his beloved wife Sally, their children Kaarin, Scott, and Kyle, stepchildren Josh and Emily, along with eleven grandchildren.
