What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Lalo Schifrin, the composer whose instantly recognizable 5/4 theme introduced the original Mission: Impossible television series, died on June 26, 2025, at age 93. His career ranged far beyond that signature: he moved between jazz, popular music, film and television scores, and orchestral composition.
What is confirmed about Schifrin’s death?
Schifrin died on June 26, 2025, aged 93, according to his official memorial notice and the Associated Press. Both report complications of pneumonia as the cause. Their accounts differ on location: the official notice says he died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, while the AP says he died peacefully at home in Los Angeles, surrounded by family. The Television Academy also lists June 26, 2025, as his passing date.
Why did the Mission: Impossible theme become so memorable?
Schifrin wrote the theme for Bruce Geller’s Mission: Impossible, which ran from 1966 to 1973. Its uncommon 5/4 meter creates a driving pulse that feels slightly off balance while remaining easy to recognize. Schifrin said in the official memorial notice that “there is something unpredictable about 5/4.”
The theme’s creation involved a change of direction. Schifrin initially wrote different music, but Geller favored an arrangement Schifrin had prepared for an action sequence. Recalling Geller’s request to the AP in 2006, Schifrin said: “You’re going to have to write something exciting, almost like a logo, something that’s going to be a signature, and it’s going to start with a fuse.” The resulting theme became a musical signature for the series and later appeared throughout the Tom Cruise films beginning in 1996.
#1 Best Overall
The first Mission: Impossible soundtrack album became a bestseller in 1968, and the theme reached No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year, the AP reports. It entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2017. The theme’s reach was not only a matter of television recognition: Schifrin’s official notice credits it with two Grammy Awards and says three of his four Emmy nominations were connected to it.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What else was Lalo Schifrin known for?
Born in Buenos Aires, Schifrin studied at the Paris Conservatory, including with composer Olivier Messiaen. He formed a big band in Argentina and moved to the United States in 1958. He later worked as pianist and arranger for Dizzy Gillespie, drawing on jazz experience while building a career that also embraced orchestral writing and screen composition.
Film and television scores
His screen credits include the films Cool Hand Luke, Bullitt, Dirty Harry, and Enter the Dragon, as well as television themes for Mannix and Starsky & Hutch. In discussing his approach to film music with the AP in 2018, Schifrin said: “Every movie has its own personality. There are no rules to write music for movies. The movie dictates what the music will be.”
That flexibility is audible in the contrast between his famous action motifs and his work for individual films. For Dirty Harry, he said, he focused musically on the antagonist rather than the hero: “You would think the composer would pay more attention to the hero. But in this case, no, I did it to Scorpio, the bad guy, the evil guy. I wrote a theme for Scorpio.”
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Recognition across a long career
The AP reports that Schifrin received four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations. Its list of original-score nominees includes Cool Hand Luke, The Fox, Voyage of the Damned, The Amityville Horror, and The Sting II. Separately, the official memorial notice notes the two Grammy Awards associated with the Mission: Impossible theme and his 2018 honorary Academy Award, presented by Clint Eastwood. At the ceremony Schifrin said, “Receiving this honorary Oscar is the culmination of a dream. It is a mission accomplished.” These honors describe different parts of his legacy: theme-specific awards, career totals, competitive Oscar nominations, and an honorary Oscar.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
