AN ICON who worked on the beloved animated comedy series, The Simpsons, for 27 years has died.
Veteran composer, Alf Clausen, who scored for the hit show, has died at the age of 84 following an illness.
The Emmy winner died on Thursday, May 29 at his Valley Village home in Los Angeles.
Clausen was diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy eight years ago.
He joined The Simpsons from the second series in 1990 and continued working on the show until its 28th season in 2017.
He was responsible for creating some of the iconic songs of the show, and, together with lyricist Ken Keeler, they received Emmy awards in 1997 and 1998 for songs like We Put the Spring in Springfield and You’re Checkin’ In (A Musical Tribute to the Betty Ford Center).
Clausen’s first break as a TV composer came in 1985 on the ABC show, Moonlighting, starring Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd.
He also started composing on ALF, the 80s sitcom, during this period where he provided the theme song and scored over 100 episodes.
But when offered the opportunity to work on The Simpsons he was initially reluctant to work on the show, preferring to work on films.
But Matt Groening, series creator of The Simpsons, convinced Clausen that he was perfect for the role.
He was nominated for another 21 Emmys for his work on the programme in addition to the two he won in the 1990s.
He was nominated for a total of 30 throughout his career.
Although Clausen did not write the main theme music for The Simpsons, he frequently incorporated elements of it into his own compositions and was known for rearranging and re-recording the theme during his tenure on the show.
In August 2019, Clausen filed a lawsuit against both Disney and Fox following his dismissal from the animated series.
He alleged his dismissal owed to his age and medical conditions but Disney lawyers managed to get this aspect of the case dismissed in 2020.
Clausen continued with other elements of his claim including wrongful discharge and retaliation.
He resolved the matter after reaching a settlement with Fox in February 2022.
