Oscar-nominated music composer Johann Johannsson died in Berlin on Friday. He was 48. The acclaimed composer’s credits include Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners, Sicario and Arrival and James Marsh’s The Theory of Everything. The cause of death is not yet known.
“The Icelandic composer was one of Hollywood’s leading film scorers, writing themes in recent years for The Theory of Everything, for which he won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Academy Award for best original score, Nerve and Foxcatcher,” said a report in Hollywood Reporter. “He worked three times with director Denis Villeneuve, on Prisoners, Sicario and Arrival, and earned an Oscar and BAFTA award nominations for his work on Sicario and Golden Globe, Grammy and BAFTA nominations for Arrival.”
Johannsson’s recent credits include Darren Aronofsky’s mother! (2017) and the upcoming movies The Mercy and Mandy.
We just lost Jóhann Jóhannsson, one of the best composers in the world. Died just as he was getting started. Throw on IBM 1401 all day, The Sun's Gone Dim is like he wrote his own requiem. This is devastating. https://t.co/6b2nr9WcmJ
— Aaron Moorhead (@AaronMoorhead) February 10, 2018
devastated https://t.co/OtpnbwiuqO
— darren aronofsky (@DarrenAronofsky) February 10, 2018
Incredibly sad to hear about Jóhann Jóhannsson’s passing. Such an incredibly talented man. If you don’t know his music, I envy your discovery of it. Brilliant. Rest In Peace.
— Peyton Reed (@MrPeytonReed) February 10, 2018
Orphée's opening piece. I defy you to listen to this and not see landscapes unfold. https://t.co/anxISVK1Ri
— Robbie Collin (@robbiereviews) February 10, 2018
No ! Way too soon. https://t.co/ncQkTWQxtP
— FLYLO (@flyinglotus) February 10, 2018
“Born in Reykjavík, Iceland, Jóhannsson began his career as an indie rocker and experimental electronic musician before releasing his first album, Englabörn, in 2002,” Rolling Stone noted. “Over the next 15 years, Jóhannsson balanced his own work – including 2004’s IBM 1401, A User’s Manual, a tribute to his father who worked for the computer giant – with compositional work for films, television (including Netflix’s sci-fi series The OA) and theatre. Jóhannsson’s final LP Orphée was named one of Rolling Stone’s 20 Best Avant Albums of 2016.”