'The Simpsons' Composer Alf Clausen Dies Aged 81

Jun 1

Emmy award-winning composer Alf Clausen has passed away at the age of 81. As reported by his daughter Kaarin, he died at his Los Angeles home on Thursday, having been diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy around 8 years ago. Clausen was best known for his tenure as a composer for The Simpsons, a job Clausen held from 1990 to 2017. His first major job, however, was composing for Moonlighting, an ABC comedy drama that aired from 1985 to 1989. Recommended by Al Jarreau, Alf Clausen would compose for all five of Moonlighting’s seasons, nabbing at least four Emmy nominations.

On taking The Simpsons job, Clausen recalls being initially reluctant. “I was posed the question, ‘Would you like to score an animated show?’ and I said, ‘No,'” he told The Interviews in 2015, having wanted to be a drama composer. However, creator Matt Groening convinced him by saying, “We look on our show as being, not a cartoon, we look upon it as a drama where the characters are drawn, and we would like it scored that way.” His work on The Simpsons would win Clausen five Annie awards and two Primetime Emmys. A renowned composer, Alf Clausen will be missed by many.

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