Angelo Badalamenti

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Angelo Daniel Badalamenti was an American composer and arranger who became famous for his film scores, especially his long collaboration with director David Lynch. Born on March 22, 1937, in Brooklyn, New York, he scored Lynch films such as Blue Velvet (1986), Mulholland Drive (2001), The Straight Story (1999), Fire Walk with Me (1992), and the TV series Twin Peaks (1990–1991, 2017). He also created music for other films like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), The City of Lost Children (1995), Holy Smoke! (1999), and A Very Long Engagement (2004). Badalamenti worked with many artists, including Julee Cruise, Nina Simone, Shirley Bassey, Pet Shop Boys, Dusty Springfield, Marianne Faithfull, David Bowie, Siouxsie Sioux, and Dolores O'Riordan.

He won a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for the Twin Peaks Theme and received the World Soundtrack Awards Lifetime Achievement in 2008 and the Henry Mancini Award from ASCAP in 2011.

Early life and education: Badalamenti was the son of Leonora and John Badalamenti, from Italian descent. He began piano at eight and, as a teenager, played at Catskill resorts. He attended Lafayette High School, studied at the Eastman School of Music, and then the Manhattan School of Music, earning a BA in 1958 and an MA in 1959.

Career highlights: His breakthrough came when he was Isabella Rossellini's singing coach for the song "Blue Velvet" in Lynch's film. He and Lynch wrote "Mysteries of Love," with lyrics by Lynch and vocals by Julee Cruise. He described their partnership as "my second-best marriage." The Twin Peaks score helped define the show’s mood and remains his most famous work.

Other work included scoring The Wicker Man, Naked in New York, The City of Lost Children, Holy Smoke!, and The Edge of Love; arranging music for Dusty Springfield and the Pet Shop Boys; and contributing to the video game Fahrenheit. He also produced albums with Julee Cruise and Marianne Faithfull and worked on projects for Jane Campion and Paul Schrader.

Personal life and death: Badalamenti married Lonny in 1968, and they had two children. He died of natural causes on December 11, 2022, at his home in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, aged 85. His death drew tributes from many in the music and film world.