Angelo Badalamenti, Blue Velvet composer, dies at 85

Angelo Badalamenti died at 85.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Brooklyn-born composer Angelo Badalamenti, who collaborated with David Lynch on Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, and Mulholland Drive, passed away at the age of 85. No specific cause of death has been disclosed.

Early on, Badalamenti had a passion for music, starting to play the piano at age 8 and finally mastering the French horn.

He graduated from the Manhattan School of Music with a bachelor's degree in 1958 and a master's degree the following year.

With 1986's Blue Velvet, Badalamenti and David Lynch began a successful working collaboration. Originally hired to be Isabella Rossellini's voice coach, Badalamenti ended up writing the film's score, acting as the music supervisor, and playing a jazz lounge pianist in the movie.

After working with Lynch on Blue Velvet, Badalamenti collaborated with him once more on Twin Peaks and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. He has said that he made up the recognizable title theme for the television program.