David Lynch’s renowned composer Angelo Badalamenti, known for his eerie scores for “Mulholland Drive”, “Blue Velvet”, and “Twin Peaks”, passed away on Sunday, December 11, at the age of 85.
He also penned the themes for Inside the Actors Studio and the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, as well as songs that were recorded by Liza Minnelli, David Bowie, Shirley Bassey, Nancy Wilson, Nina Simone, and Shirley Bassey.
Badalamenti, who was born in Brooklyn in March 1937 to a fish market owner father with musical training (he was a percussionist in Sicily), grew up listening to Italian opera with his family, began taking piano lessons at age 8, and eventually graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music. He would perform piano for the Borscht Belt.
“The Twin Peaks” theme by Badalamenti was nominated for three Emmy Awards and won the 1990 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. In 25 different countries, the series’ soundtrack record achieved gold status.
Angelo Badalamenti health: What illness did Angelo Badalamenti have?
Badalamenti wasn’t ill. According to his niece Frances Badalamenti, Badalamenti passed away on Sunday at his home in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, of natural causes while being attended by family members.
