As of this writing, there’s been news about a plane crash in California. The plane was registered to Film Composer James Horner, and supposedly, the pilot didn’t survive. There’s a possibility that Horner has passed, but I’m going write this as if he wasn’t and update it later if it changes.

I just hope it doesn’t.

Note: We’ve received confirmation from various sources citing Horner’s assist that the composer has indeed died. Such a loss. 

I’ve always loved James Horner’s music, from way back in the eighties with Wolfen, Krull and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. I’ve also spent a lot of time making fun of the notion that if you listen to these films and many of Horner’s other pieces, there were these familiar sounds in them. It was as if he recycled a lot of his themes to a degree that would put Hans Zimmer to shame. Still, he won an Oscar for Titanic. Below are some of my favorite Horner related tracks.

Wolfen (1981)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) – The Genesis Countdown – Love this one.

Krull (1983) 

Commando (1982) – Some thought this to be one of Horner’s worst, but I liked it.

Aliens (1986) – The beginning of this song, Resolution and Hyperspace, was never used in the film Aliens. It was, however, featured near the end of Die Hard, for some reason.

Willow (1988) – Escape from the Tavern.

The Rocketeer (1991) – The Flying Circus was one of my favorite tracks. This was a wonderful action piece.

Braveheart (1994) – The Battle of Stirling – Where William Wallace asks his men to Hold.

Titanic (1997) – Hard to Starboard – Everything seems great for Jack & Rose, but something looms in the distance. Great piece.

A Beautiful Mind (2001) – Real or Imagined. Beautiful at the start, tragic near the end.