ADVERTISEMENTThis weekend, we learned of the disappearance of American composer Mark Snow, the celebrated artist best known for his iconic and eerie theme for the hit TV show The X Files. He was 78.
A cause of death has not been provided, but Variety said Snow died Friday at his residence in the northeastern state of Connecticut.
Snow’s impact on the world of television cannot be understated, as he created the unique mood of numerous television and film productions.
In addition to The X Files main theme, which was released as a single in 1996 and charted internationally, Snow composed the music for over 200 episodes and both feature films (The X Files: Fight The Future and The X Files: I Want To Believe) of the hit science-fiction show created by Chris Carter.
In 2022, Rolling Stone magazine named The X-Files theme one of the 100 greatest TV theme songs of all time.
Snow also composed the music for Carter’s shows The Lone Gunmen and Millennium, as well as other US television series including Starsky & Hutch, Hart to Hart, T.J. Hooker, Blue Bloods, Smallville and The Twilight Zone.
Born Martin Fulterman on 26 August 1946, Snow grew up in Brooklyn, New York and attended the prestigious Juilliard School. He began composing music for television in the late 1970s under the name Mark Snow, initiating a fruitful collaboration with producer Aaron Spelling on series such as The Rookies.
His pioneering mastery of synthesizers and ability to create memorable atmospheres was recognised the world over, and led him to work with French filmmaker Alain Resnais on several films – including Cœurs, for which he was nominated for a César for best film score, as well as Les Herbes Folles and Vous n’avez encore rien vu.
Over the course of his illustrious career, Snow garnered 15 Emmy nominations.
His final score was the X-Men spin-off The New Mutants in 2020.
Snow is survived by his wife Glynnis, three daughters, and grandchildren.
