I grieve when artists who have touched my life die, and it just so happens that James Horner was one of those artists. He has been taken much too early, and the cinema has lost a great talent.
I did not know Mr. Horner personally, but his work has been a part of my life since I watched Aliens, and then, most memorably, Titanic in 1997. I owned both his original CD of the score, and then the expanded score released a few months later. I can hear every note for some of his compositions in my mind, even if I haven’t actually listened to them in a while.
I was working at the theater when Avatar came out. I remember running the 35mm trailer through the projector the morning that it arrived because iTunes had crashed with everyone downloading the teaser. It was a return to the great composer that I had known as a child – one of my favorites alongside John Williams and Danny Elfman. When I saw the finished film in 3D, I was transported to a place I had never been and I felt emotion that was shepherded by Horner’s music. He was a master, and I was looking forward to what he would do on the two sequels to Avatar. His shoes will be big ones to fill.
I sincerely wish you, Mr. Horner, a great rest. Your art will never be forgotten by me, and many others around the world.
Franklin Kendrick 