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Oscar-Winning Composer Dead at 90 — Known for a Classic 1966 Musical and the 1980s Superman Movies, He Also Shared a Grammy Nomination With John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison

Jul 11, 2014  •  Post A Comment

A veteran film and television composer whose diverse body of work spanned seven decades has died. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ken Thorne, who won an Oscar for his score for the 1966 musical-comedy adaptation “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” died Tuesday in West Hills in the Los Angeles area. He was 90.

Thorne received an Emmy nomination for his score for the 1995 CBS television movie “A Season of Hope,” and shared a Grammy nomination with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison for writing the incidental score to the 1965 Beatles film “Help!”

He was also known for his work on "Superman II" (1980) and "Superman III" (1983). His work spanned seven decades, from the 1940s through the 2000s, with his first credit coming on the British movie "The Clouded Crystal" in 1948.

He composed music for a long list of TV movies beginning in the early 1980s, including "Great Expectations" in 1991, "Return to Lonesome Dove" in 1993 and "Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story" in 1995. His last credit was for the TV movie "Marco Polo" in 2007.

Born in England, Thorne started playing the piano when he was five and was a professional musician by the time he was 15, the report notes.

Here's a taste of Thorne's work — some music from "Superman II" …

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