Composer Ennio Morricone has died at the age of 91.
The Oscar-winning Italian, best known for his hugely influential score to The Good, The Bad and The Ugly in 1966, is reported to have died after a fall.
Across the course of a career that changed the face of music in film, Morricone scored more than 500 films.
His most renowned work came alongside Sergio Leone, who pioneered the genre of Spaghetti Westerns with films such as A Fistful of Dollars and Once Upon A Time in the West.
In 2008, Morricone was entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame and had continued to work up until a few years ago, with his score to Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight in 2015.
He was presented with the Academy Honorary Award for his contributions to film music in 2007. He also won Best Original Music score for his work on Hateful Eight in 2016.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte posted a message on Twitter, paying tribute to Morricone by saying: “We will always remember, with infinite gratitude, the artistic genius of the Maestro #EnnioMorricone. It made us dream, feel excited, reflect, writing memorable notes that will remain indelible in the history of music and cinema.”
The film world has also begun to pay its respects after the news broke early this morning, with the likes of Edgar Wright posting messages online.
“He could make an average movie into a must see, a good movie into art, and a great movie into legend,” wrote Wright.
