'Twin Peaks' Composer Passes Away

Angelo Badalamenti has died, aged 85, Rolling Stone confirmed with the composer's manager, Kraft-Engel Management.

Known for working with David Lynch on Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive and Blue Velvet, Badalamenti pioneered dream-pop music and television scores for surreal, spooky series.

On Lynch's daily weather report YouTube video, the acclaimed director left a message honouring his co-worker. "Today, no music," he said plainly and respectfully about the composer.

Badalamenti’s nephew wrote on social media: "My great uncle Angelo Badalamenti has crossed the barrier onto another plane of existence. 

"Between his work on Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, Cabin Fever, Nightmare On Elm Street 3 and a plethora of others, plus his relationships & collaborations with David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Nina Simone, Julee Cruise, Isabella Rosselini, Dolores O’Riordan, Anthrax, Dokken, Eli Roth and especially David Lynch, he has always been the most interesting man in the world to me. 

"A true musical and artistic inspiration for me and countless others. Stayed true to his roots and family, never leaving North Jersey for LA. Not to mention the casual but mind blowing true stories from his life he never ran out of. He will truly be missed by many."

He ended the post by writing, "Chi ha vissuto una buona vita ha una buona more," which translates to "Who has lived a good life has a good death."

In 1990, Badalamenti won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for the Twin Peaks Theme Song. Two years later, he composed the opening music for the Barcelona Summer Olympics.

One of the composer's surprising collaborations happened with the previously mentioned thrash metal outfit Anthrax; his final work came in the form of the 2018 Nicolas Cage film Between Worlds. That same year, he reunited with Lynch as part of the Thought Gang project.