Angelo Badalamenti, a composer with a considerable career, and who might be most famous for his collaborations with David Lynch, has died. He was 85.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Badalamenti studied composition, French horn and piano at the Eastman School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music, where he received a Masters degree. Following his classical training, he worked for five years as a music teacher in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, while spending summers performing as a pianist for shows. During this period he was also a busy songwriter and orchestrator for many popular performers.
He began working in film with his scores for Law And Disorder and Gordon’s War. In 1986, he was hired by a young David Lynch to be Isabella Rossellini’s vocal coach for Blue Velvet. Badalamenti ended up scoring the film, writing the feature song 'Mysteries Of Love' with Lynch, and even appears onscreen in the piano bar scene. His close relationship with Lynch served as a springboard and since Blue Velvet Badalamenti has scored Lynch’s films and projects, as well as those of many other preeminent directors.
His CV includes movies such as Secretary, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, The City Of Lost Children, Arlington Road, The Beach and A Very Long Engagement and much TV work.
"My great uncle Angelo Badalamenti has crossed the barrier onto another plane of existence," his grand-nephew wrote on social media. "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."
Lynch, meanwhile, paid simple tribute on his daily YouTube weather report, stating "today, no music".