9 Scores By The Late James Horner That Made Good Films Great

Farewell James Horner. The Oscar winning composer died in a plane crash yesterday aged 61.

You might not know the name but by God you’ll have heard his music. Scoring blockbusters like Titanic and Avatar along with more nuanced fare like A Beautiful Mind, his were the sort of swelling epics that goose bumps were made for. 

His work alongside visionaries including regular collaborator James Cameron and Ron Howard will never be forgotten.

So expansive is Horner’s influence on cinema, we’ve paid tribute to the Hollywood legend by listing some of his best work below.

Apollo 13

Those trumpets. You can tell it's a movie about going into space before you actually see anything.

Titanic

My Heart Will Go On? You probably slow danced to this classic at a school disco with a shandy in your hand; we won't tell anyone.

A Beautiful Mind

Bouncier and more erratic than most of his scores, this Oscar-nominated effort showed how just how progressive his music became.

Braveheart

Because if there was a song designed to make us want to take arms, hate the English and give a sweaty man hug to mid-90s Mel Gibson, this'll do it.

Legends of the Fall

Before insurance comparison ads started ruining the word 'epic', it was normally reserved for scores like this one.

Avatar

Trust Horner to make you care about some 3D blue things that look a bit like overgrown Smurfs. Another great piece of work for director James Cameron.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

This one's for the geeks. You know who you are.

Field of Dreams

"If you score it, they will come" - Kevin Costner to James Horner. Probably.

Cocoon

And yep, he was also behind this cult eighties classic too.