Dear readers,
We are still reeling from the tragedy and for now all we are doing is copying the message published on our Facebook page. Other articles and homages will come, in due time. Thanks for you understanding.
You can react and comment below.
It is with profound grief and broken hearts that we concede the tragic reality that the unparalleled voice of James Horner has concluded its final coda and achieved its last silence. We take what small comfort we can from knowing that he left this world pursuing his great personal passion of flying and that he left us a stirring and immeasurable legacy that allows each of us who listen to soar with him in spirit.
Our thoughts are ever with his family, his friends, his colleagues and peers who loved working with him, and the legions of fans worldwide who adored the rich tapestry of his art. We collectively found his work to be more than mere music, but a source of such comfort and inspiration that what he leaves behind unquestionably lives on in our hearts, our minds, our spirits, our ears forever.Rest in peace, Maestro, and thank you for everything.
“There is no goodbye, only love…”
James Horner’s music has always brought me comfort when I am scared and joy when I am sad. I looked to him as not just a composer, but a friend who spoke what I needed to hear and provided arms to embrace me but with no words or actions, just through his BEAUTIFUL music. May he rest in peace and fly amongst the Angels. I’LL LOVE YOUR MUSIC FOREVER, JAMES!
still can’t believe its true. Thank you for the music James. Never forget…
From an early age i remember watching battle beyond the stars and thinking who did the soundtrack and how can i get it! and when star trek the wrath of khan was released i was again amazed at how good the music was and made the film so exiting and special. Now i am 44 i have all his soundtracks and love all his music and was so looking forward to his next release! Feel numb with the news and lost knowing he is not with us anymore! my heart goes out to his family and friends as he has been snatched away from us all far too soon!
He will live on in our hearts with the music he created!
JAMES, I REALLY MISS YOU SO SO MUCH ,I FEEL LIKE I LOST A DEAR FRIEND WHO IS ALWAYS THERE BY MY SIDE DURING TOUGH TIMES TO ENCOURAGE ME NOT BY WORDS BUT WITH MUSIC.PLEASE COME BACK.YOUR MUSIC IS ETERNAL BUT I MISS THAT CHILD LIKE SMILE ON YOUR FACE WHICH WILL ALWAYS BRING SMILE ON MY FACE .EVEN THOUGH IT IS HARD TO IMAGINE THAT YOUR ARE GONE BUT I WILL FIND HOPE JUST LIKE YOUR MUSIC GIVES A SENSE OF HOPE IN MIDST OF ALL CHAOS.I WILL MISS YOU ALL THE TIME .
Beautiful words Ravi. I too feel like I have lost a dear friend.
Having been a huge fan of James Horner’s film scores since I was a boy, I finally met James backstage at the premiere of Pas De Deux in Liverpool recently. I felt like I had known him all my life. He happily chatted, and was warm and sensitive to my questions. He had a huge heart. He took time out of his busy schedule to meet me and I will be forever grateful. My heart aches, I loved you.
Absolutely devastated. I was just listening to his music last night and talking about him today when I came home this evening and heard the terrible news. I was about 12 years old when his really big scores like Titanic, Braveheart & Perfect Storm were coming out and I fist started to pay attention to film music. Titanic awed me with it’s grand orchestrations but it was when my mum took me to the pictures to see Bicentennial Man that I first learned what music feels like. I can’t remember my childhood but that night is just about on the cusp of my memory. I can remember my eyes filling with tears, not because of what was going on on-screen but because of the music sweeping me up for the very first time. That one moment led me into a lifelong love of classical and film music and drove me to try and become the best musician I could possibly be. In short, Horner’s music changed my life. I still can’t listen to that score without welling up so thank you James, you will be sadly missed. A great talent with a huge heart has left us.
I am so terribly sad as I fear James’es music and style of composition will simply vanish in the industry of modern cinema. All we hear nowadays is repetitive music consisted of one theme being generated mainly by the computer blending software ( Zimmer, Jablonsky etc ) I loved every single piano chord that came out of the instrument played by Horner. My favourite themes were those coming from dramas such as “Dad”, “Iris”, “Apollo 13”, “Devil’s Own”, “Spitfire Grill”, “The Legends of the Fall”, “Radio”. In my personal opinion James achieved his best composing outcomes in between 1994-2000 and then new era of film making came out James could’t keep up with.. Thank you for being present in my life during my teenage years. You will remain my favourite film music composer ever existed on this planet. RIP
it is unbelievable.
i remeber listening to the final sounds of “windtalkers” a few hours after my beloved grandmother died. james’ music was a relief in dark moments and will always be. will be listening to “pas de deux” again and again, his final gift to us.
The James Horner Film Music pages of information on James over the past few months for me have been a daily part of my life. After the most tragic news of yesterday, which I find so incredibly hard to believe, I will miss so very much reading all about the man whose music has given me so much pleasure. If this now ends, it will be even harder to accept that there will be no more wonderful items to read about him, and photos too. How wonderful it was to see him at the Royal Albert Hall, and also at the Royal Festival Hall-please let us have a cd of Collage for Horns made available and possibly the music of Romeo and Juliet recorded at Abbey Road. I am so sorry for his family and friends and for the people of JHFM who have done such an incredible job. My heart really aches at reading All is Lost. It is so terribly sad,,I feel I’ve lost a wonderful friend. Thank you so much, James, for your musicality.
I am so heartbroken to hear that my favorite composer of all time has passed away. James Horner has been such a cornerstone and inspiration in my life for pursuing my dreams of someday composing for TV and film. I remember vividly when I first heard his astoundingly beautiful music for Titanic, Glory, Legends of the Fall, The Rocketeer, The Mask of Zorro, The Land Before Time, Bicentennial Man…the list goes on. As someone that has collected nearly all of James Horner’s scores, listening and studying each and every one I say with a heavy heart that Maestro James Horner will be sorely missed and he will always be remembered for his superb contribution to the world of film and concert music. I will keep listening to and sharing his beautiful music with the world because he inspired me to share myself through my music. RIP James Horner. We love you.
As a musician, I don’t have many whom I would call heroes, but James Horner was one of them. As one who grew up listening to his scores and admiring his music, I feel like part of me passed away yesterday, too. How I enjoyed and studied his work and sought to emulate even a fraction of his talent in my own music. Rest in piece good sir, and know that you made such a difference in the world; how you uplifted so many.
The movies which he scored were so enhanced by his touch, but his work stands on it’s own. It’s just a joy to listen to, and it saddens me deeply to know that it, like all good things, has come to an end. I hope it is some comfort to his friends and family to know that he inspired, and his music will continue to inspire, generations of composers. James Horner was, truly was, one of the great ones. He will be missed, but not forgotten.
My heart really feels for his death.I love his unbelievable talent of attracting the souls of human being through his music.
I never met Mr. Horner but I feel as if I have known him for years… both through the beautiful music he composed and our common love of flying. As a pilot / businessman for more than 40 years, I’ve often retreated to my home in Northern WI when I needed to spend some quiet time planning and always it was the music of James Horner playing in the background that inspired some of my best ideas… He and his amazing, emotion eliciting talent will be deeply missed.
Nous sommes tous bouleversés. James Horner est un grand maître et le restera à jamais. J’ai été conquis il y a des années déjà par l’émotion qu’il transmettait dans ses oeuvres. “Glory” a été mon déclic personnel. Et depuis ma vie fut bersée par ses compositions. Je me joigne à tous ceux qui, un jour, ont ressenti un indéfinissable charme à l’écoute de sa musique au-delà même du film… Je me joigne à tous ses admirateurs pour un moment de recueillement, de silence… Merci pour tout le bonheur que tu nous as procuré, et que tu nous procureras encore… Un petit pas dans l’autre monde mais un grand pas dans nos coeurs… Merci
La trágica muerte de James ha supuesto para mí un dolor inmensurable. Horner ha estado componiendo música durante toda mi vida, y desde bien pequeño he estado siguiendo sus pasos. Este hombre para mí fue mi máximo ídolo, la persona que más respetaba, más valoraba y más idolatraba del planeta, simplemente por su genio, por lo que tenía siempre dentro de su cabeza y que era capaz de demostrar con sus composiciones.
Reconozco que este hombre me tenía preocupado. De hecho hace años malpensé de que a ver si se arriesgaba con aquello que tanto amaba, que era volar. Lo que no sabía era hasta qué punto alcanzaba su pasión incondicional por el vuelo. Me sorprendió en “The Horsemen” donde desveló abiertamente su pasión por la aviación, pudiendo unir su vida como compositor con lo que significaba el vuelo. Reconozco que no me hacía gracia que se montara en aviones, pero desconocía que lo hacía tan habitualmente. Siempre le lanzaba al aire: “James, no hagas el tonto, déjate de avioncitos y compón más bandas sonoras, que me tienes en ascuas.”
El consuelo que siempre surge es que murió haciendo lo que más amaba. Pero eso a mí no me consuela. Él ya no está y a mí se me parte el alma. A veces pienso que parte de la culpa de porqué sus banda sonoras eran tan magistrales era porque le encantaba volar, tenía una mente muy abierta y abarcaba todo con abismal capacidad.
Yo soy de los que colecciona todas sus composiciones, con la estantería llena de sus CDs. Ahora los miro y me pongo literalmente a llorar. Estoy pensando en retirarlo para no verlos, porque no me sienta bien. Llevo mi vida escuchando su obra hasta lo más profundo, disfrutando de cada uno de sus matices y sorprendiéndome de la capacidad que demostraba con sus composiciones. He escuchado sus BSO miles de veces, y no exagero. He estado siempre detrás de sus versiones expandidas y completas, aquellas que no se editan en CD y son difíciles de conseguir. Estoy convencido que hay mucha música de Horner que la gente normal no conoce. Conociendo su trayectoria, estoy convencido que a día de hoy es uno de los mejores compositores de música del planeta y de la historia, que estaba alcanzando un nivel que desgraciadamente no tienen sus compañeros de oficio y que aún les falta años para alcanzar. Horner lo dominaba todo en la orquesta, y era el mejor creando banda sonoras que se ajustaran como un guante. En las escuelas y universidades deberán dar clases con su música y tratarle como uno de los más grandes.
Pienso que la música de cine está en decadencia, el arte se está perdiendo y a menudo está siendo sustituido por música digitalizada, y la orquesta pierde fuerza. Horner era un maestro en este terreno, y su pérdida para mí marca una clara línea en el tiempo que demostrará hasta qué punto influía con sus composiciones de orquesta. Avatar fue el culmen de su carrera, una verdadera obra de arte musical, incomparable. No estoy hablando de las ediciones en CD, sino de su entera composición para Avatar, con más de 5 horas de música. Me gusta pensar que él ya estaba tranquilo y satisfecho por haber alcanzado todo lo que quería, y Avatar 2, 3 y 4 lo habrían consagrado como el mejor compositor de este siglo, sin discursión alguna. Se me parte el corazón cada vez que pienso que su destino le ha negado esto.
¿Cómo es posible que este “hombre de luz” haya muerto de una forma tan trágica? Para mí es como si se me hubiera muerto un hermano, un padre, un maestro cercano que tanto amaba. Me ha enseñado a amar la música profunda, a llorar por un simple y bello acorde, a engendrarme un nudo en el estómago cada vez que me emocionaba viendo algunas de sus películas. Ahora, mi angustia me acompaña. Veo sus fotos y simplemente lloro, no puedo controlarme. Espero llegar a los 61 años, y cuando los cumpla (tengo poco más de la treintena) estoy seguro que me acordaré de él y seguiré escuchando su obra.
James Horner es uno de los más grandes seres humanos del mundo, y se le debe dar tributo como tal. Era todo un honor tenerlo entre nosotros. Espero que la gente viva esté a la altura y sepa reconocerlo.
Por último, si tanto no ha afectado a sus fans más incondicionales, no quiero ni imaginar lo que sería para sus familiares, esposa, amigos y colegas de trabajo. Estoy seguro que era un hombre muy amado. Decir que su pérdida es devastadora es quedarse corto, porque Horner no era una persona normal, a Horner se le amaba incondicionalmente por su eterna grandeza.
Descansa hombre de luz, compón música para los dioses. Ahora el mundo es mucho más pequeño sin ti. Seguiré mi vida compartiendo tu música. Para mí eres inmortal y no morirás jamás gracias a tu majestuoso legado. El 22 de junio de 2015 estará marcado mentalmente en mi cabeza para el resto de mi vida y beberé mis lágrimas brindando por ti.
¡Hasta siempre!
Still in a state of shock over this. Devastating news.
My heart goes out to his family and friends. But I really feel for you guys behind this website also. It was such a lovely and passionate tribute to the man when he was still with us, no less than he deserved of course, and it must have been such a terrible blow for you all this week. I hope you guys are doing OK, and I’m sending you all lots of love.
i am from Iran i cant believe it in Iran news stations don’t pay attention about art and art especially music is like banned in iran i know last night for me and my wife score music of titanic was one of same point together last night we cry one hours and i ask from god why?why?why?
بگذاريد به فارسي بنويسم نميتونم اين همه احساس رو به اين بنده پاك درگاه خدا بيان كنم
او بي نظير بود مثل و مانند نداشت او عشق را خوب ميفهميد و هر كس عشق را خوب بفهمد يقينا در بهشت تا ابد خواهد ماند
روحت شاد جيمز روحت شاد حيف حيف حيف حيف حيف و صد افسوس
The way you painted music with such beauty has affected so many people for the better. Thank you.
From a fan and fellow flier,
Pilots have a saying; when one of us perishes in the air, we say that that person has “flown West”
“To fly west, my friend, is the one final check we all must take.”
May your final flight West be a good one Mr. Horner; your music reminded me of flight as a child and afterwards, accompanied me through many miles of sky as an Airline Pilot. You captured the ephemeral beauty of flight like no other Composer, and I am sure Heaven is ringing with glorious music as you swing your baton through the stars.
Niki
I have known young love on the Titanic to the flute’s blessing. I have travelled the canyons of the Great Valley in the clarinet’s lonely cry. I have I have pondered upon the great questions as the notes shifted up and down with the spiral in my mind. I became one with the blue forest to the drums of the tribe.
You were the violin that reunited me with my family when alone a lost child I wandered the island of New York. The bagpipes of my homeland as I took up sword to free my people. The piano that trickled down my cheeks when my synthetic eyes could not shed human tears.
Now you will forevermore be the choir that wraps around my heart. The shift in pitch that stopped to look deep inside me – the ordinary – when other composers were demanding epic vigor and grand adventure that were sometimes too lofty.
For out of all the musical genius that sewed the cinematic action to the viewers’ emotions, you were the one who was always up close and personal. Melancholic, sometimes sad. Other times contemplative, even entrancing.
I will forever cherish and build upon what you have given me the privilege to experience.
As the flood of comments pours in on all the media, videos, social networks and people gathering to talk, your essence coalesces and rises… May it spread across the world like a gentle rain, and wash over us, each drop a fragment of your essence, and may we each grow just a little taller.
Thank you <3
A big artist, still, left us. Certain “spiteful tongues” accused it of being a “plagieur” … Think, it is true that he was often inspired by classic pieces for its creations (but who does not make it ?) and that he tended to copy out, sometimes a little too much, its own effects. And nevertheless, in my feeling, if he was not the best composer of theme musics, it was one of those who knew how to give a soul and of the depth to its creations. Of it, the music could affect and touch the heart.
In my felling, “Legends of the fall”, “Searching Bobby Fischer”, “Braveheart”,
“Perfect storm” et “Glory” stay masterpieces ; I don’t so forget its wondefull works for the cartoons : “Fievel”, “THE LAND BEFORE TIME”, “Once upon a forest”, “Balto”.
God Bless You and safe journey mister James Horner, with all our gratitude and sympathy to your family.
James, I still cannot believe that you are gone. It is making me very hard to go through each day with this feeling of emptiness in me .I hope this is all just a dream and I want to wake up immediately and see you doing new movies.I’m missing you very very much . I
Estoy devastado, mi compositor favorito, que me ha acompañado en esta extraña aventura que es la vida desde los dias de Willow, hasta el presente con su póstuma “Southpaw”, falleció mientras hacia lo que más amaba despues de componer que era volar.
Ahora está con los grandes (Rosza, Newman, Bernstein, Herrman) en el olimpo de la música cinematográfica, pero a su familia, sus fans y todos los aficionados a las bandas sonoras, nos deja huérfanos de su talento y entrega.
Compositor único en crear “scores” que llegaban donde las imágenes no podian y cuyo don en la composición melódica y tonal nos otorgó obras tales que Titanic, Braveheart, El Nombre de la Rosa, Fievel & El Nuevo Mundo, Campo de Sueños, Avatar o Leyendas de Pasión, deja un vacio en la industria imposible de llenar, heredero natural de la “silver age” de Hollywood, con su muerte y el cercano fin de otras leyendas más longevas como Williams o Morricone, se cierra una página irrepetible en la composición cinematográfica.
Descanse en paz, su obra y legado perdurará mientras haya gente que disfrute cerrando los ojos y dejandose llevar por este pintor de emociones, el poeta sinfónico completo.
Hasta Siempre James.
There are no words that can describe the magnitude of this tragedy’s impact upon the world of music.
All we can do is wonder what may lay further ahead in his illustrious career. Unfortunately, all we will have now is silence. A silence that will always be broken by beauty and majesty when one listens to his musical legacy and experiences once more his gift to the world.
Fly ever higher James.
Gone but never to be forgotten.
Beautiful words Anon. The best posted.
It is still unbelievable….
For more than 30 years I listened to your Music … You was part of my life and I learned so much about music from you … Dear James I hope you find your peace … You will be remembered as one of the greatest Composers … You were to young … but … you died doing what you loved… Rest in Peace
I realize that it has been almost 8 months since we lost James Horner. I like may others won’t miss just the music but him as a person. There are so many notes that strive to be written, maybe not by him but others and not in the way we expect. If he could look at us and see what we have done, his life will have a more special meaning. I wish I could find information on where he is buried and when the funeral was, if there was one at all. Like James Cameron said it was such a waste. Fly on James Horner. Till we meet again. Je t’aime James.
I still miss him so much everyday. I know I never knew him personally, but I felt a connection through his mucic as I’m sure we all did. It was heartbreaking to find out he had passed in June of 2015 and that we’d never hear anything new from him again. Well, I was wrong of course because all of his ‘as yet to be released’ scores would come out afterward, so we still got to hear new Horner compositions and keep him in our hearts for a little longer. Though we will always have his music to listen to for infinity, so infact he will always have a place in our hearts. I wish I would have been able to say this to him personally, though I think he knows how we feel, but I would like to say, “Thank you James for all of beauty you’ve alowed us to experience from your wonderful music compositions and cheers!”, RIP MR. Horner.