Ennio Morricone death: Oscar-winning composer dies aged 91

Italian musician scored more than 500 films and TV shows

Oscar-winning composer Ennio Morricone has died at the age of 91.

The Italian musician, who scored more than 500 films and TV shows, died on Monday (6 July) at the Campus Bio-Medico in Rome, a week after suffering a fall in which he broke his femur. His death was confirmed by his lawyer, Giorgio Assumma.

Born in 1928, Morricone began his career as a trumpet player before turning to film composition in 1961, going on to create music for more than 70 award-winning movies.

In 1966, Morricone composed the iconic soundtrack to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, a score so influential it earned him a spot in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2009.

The composer quickly became a prolific name in Hollywood, working with directors including Don Siegel, Oliver Stone and Warren Beatty.

It was his work with Quentin Tarantino that eventually earned him his Academy Award for The Hateful Eight in 2016. This made Morricone, at 87, the oldest person to win a competitive Oscar at the time.

Speaking about the collaboration with Tarantino, Morricone described working on his film as “perfect ... because he gave me no cues, no guidelines."

He told The Guardian: "I wrote the score without Quentin Tarantino knowing anything about it, then he came to Prague when I recorded it and was very pleased. So the collaboration was based on trust and a great freedom for me."

Morricone also composed music for The Mission (1986), The Untouchables (1987), Cinema Paradiso (1988) and The Best Offer (2013).

Shortly after his 90th birthday, Morricone played his final ever tour dates in June 2019, marking the last time he conducted his own music.