Mission: Impossible Theme Composer Lalo Schifrin Dead At 93

Lalo Schifrin, the composer best known for the Mission: Impossible theme song, has died. The Argentine musician passed away due to complications from pneumonia. He was 93.

Boris Claudio “Lalo” Schifrin was born on June 21, 1932 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His father was the concertmaster of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Buenos Aires, and Schifrin was six years old when he began a six-year course of study on piano.

While studying at Conservatoire de Paris, he performed jazz in Paris clubs. Upon returning to Buenos Aires in 1956, he formed a 16-piece band. He met Dizzy Gillespie in 1958 and subsequently moved to New York City to be his pianist and arranger.

In 1962, he signed to Verve Records and a few years later won his first Grammy for “The Cat” for Best Original Jazz Composition. The following year, he began writing music for TV and movies such as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Kraft Suspense Theatre, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and more.

His famous Mission: Impossible theme song was unique due to its uncommon 5/4 time signature and meter (dash dash, dot dot), which is Morse Code for the letters M and I. Schifrin did the score for 1973’s The Exorcist, but it was rejected by director William Friedkin because the music was reportedly frightening audiences.