Jóhann Jóhannsson, Academy Award-nominated movie composer, passed away on Friday, Feb. 9, in his home in Berlin for reasons still unknown.
His representatives from Redbird Music Management confirmed his death on a post on Facebook this weekend.
"It is with profound sadness that we confirm the passing of our dear friend Jóhann," the post read. "We have lost one of the most talented and brilliant people who we had the privilege of knowing and working with. May his music continue to inspire us."
He is survived by his parents, his sisters, and his daughter.
Life And Work
Jóhannsson, 48, won a Golden Globes for his work in The Theory of Everything, the award-winning biopic depicting the story of Stephen Hawking and his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS. The movie starred Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones.
He was also nominated for Best Original Score at last year's Golden Globes for his work in the sci-fi movie Arrival.
For his work with the Academy Award-nominated movie directed by Denis Villeneuve, the movie composer experimented by using voices as instruments.
"I knew that I wanted to use voices as one of the prime instruments in the score of a film that is primarily about language and communication," he explained to The Guardian. "But I wanted to use the voice in a different way, so I worked with an ensemble called Theatre Of Voices. They're masters of both early music and contemporary music, so have a very good command of exotic vocal techniques. I worked with Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe; he is not academically trained, but his voice is an amazing, powerful and flexible instrument."
Before his death, Jóhannsson was also signed up to work on upcoming movies Mandy, The Mercy, and Mary Magdalene.
Apart from movies, the Icelandic composer also had a career as a solo artist. His first solo album, Englabörn, was released in 2002. He also created music for theater, dance, and television.
Jóhannsson was set to perform at Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona later this year.
Tribute
Famous movie personalities have paid tribute to the renowned movie composer.
"Johann was a gentleman. He was a brilliant collaborator with a wholly unique approach to sound and music," said Mother! director Darren Aronofsky. "This is a terrible loss."
I'm saddned to hear of the passing of Johann Johannson. My thoughts are with his family, friends, and loved ones. https://t.co/7YmgoGBZ89 — Clint Mansell (@iamclintmansell) February 10, 2018
Over the past six years, Jóhann Jóhannsson contributed some of the decade's best and most evocative scores to PRISONERS, THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING, SICARIO, and ARRIVAL, among numerous other movies. If that's not a sign of musical greatness, we don't know what is. #RIP, maestro. pic.twitter.com/FjY8SE0tEh — Tribeca (@Tribeca) February 10, 2018
Very saddened to hear that Jóhann Jóhannsson passed away, he was very talented, it is a great loss. RIP — Ludovico Einaudi (@LudovicoEinaud) February 10, 2018
We're saddened to learn that the composer Jóhann Jóhannsson has died at the age of just 48. Jóhann created the beautiful music for The Miners' Hymns, Bill Morrison's testament to the Durham Coalfield. From the film, here's Jóhann's The Cause of Labour is the Hope of the World. pic.twitter.com/5y6f6WHF8Z — Durham Miners (@DurhamMiners) February 10, 2018
Today I am reeling with the horrible news of Jóhann Jóhannsson's passing. I send my deepest condolences along with my thoughts and prayers to his family and friends. Though I did not know Johan, as new voices in Hollywood, I felt a kinship with him. pic.twitter.com/DsELzWFqIB — Tom Holkenborg (@Junkie_XL) February 10, 2018
We are very sad to hear the news of Jóhann Jóhannsson's passing. It was an absolute privilege to work with him and we'll miss him terribly. Our thoughts are with his friends and family. Photo by Jónatan Grétarsson. pic.twitter.com/22JRdJ71tD — 4AD (@4AD_Official) February 10, 2018
RIP Jóhann Jóhannsson. Your ability to evoke pure and deep emotion will be greatly missed by this world. What a profound loss. https://t.co/mYwDz7R7dS — Steve Jablonsky (@jablonsky_steve) February 10, 2018
Very sad to hear of the passing of Jóhann Jóhannsson. He was an incredibly inspiring human being. A fabulously creative individual who certainly made his mark. Life is short. Love those around you. Do something special. https://t.co/Ni7Xfg13bP — Mick Gordon (@Mick_Gordon) February 10, 2018
A unique voice, at once experimental and emotional, #JohannJohannsson was a great composer and a good spirit. A great loss. — Carter Burwell (@carterburwell) February 11, 2018
