Some very sad news. Shirley Walker has passed away after suffering a brain aneurism, from which she did not regain consciousness. It's the loss of a real pioneer for female composers, not to mention the loss of a sweet, funny woman whom I long admired, and whose work I was lucky enough to publicize at various junctures.

I was already a fan of Shirley's collaborative work on the amazing acid rock score for APOCALYPSE NOW, her co-composing of THE BLACK STALLION (along with Carmine Coppola), and her orchestrating / conducting duties on such scores as BACKDRAFT, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, NIGHTBREED and BATMAN before meeting her on my move to LA in 1989.

One could hear Shirley's talent for dark, symphonic music on these scores - a talent that more than proved itself with her exciting, Herrmann-esque score for MEMOIRS OF AN INVISIBLE MAN- the first major Hollywood score soley composed by a woman to my knowledge.

Shirley really had a flair for super-heroic action on scores for THE FLASH, additional music for MYSTERY MEN the BATMAN and SUPERMAN animated series, and her terrific score for BATMAN- MASK OF THE PHANTASM. Her music really captured the intimidating menace of the Dark Knight, not to mention the sad, psychological underpinning of his mission of vengeance- a score that ranks as one of the best written for the comic book icon.

Some of Shirley's other notable scores include ASTEROID, SPACE - ABOVE AND BEYOND and SPAWN. More than any other genre, Shirley could bring out the black humor of horror and suspense like few composers. In scores like TURBULENCE and three FINAL DESTINATIONS, Shirley took a macabre delight in playing the bad guys- even Death himself. One of my fondest memories is seeing Shirley amp up the orchestra with a "gore-o-meter" of her devising for the third DESTINATION, previewing the deaths to their knowing, gross-out groans of the players- and a lot of laughter. But perhaps Shirley's best score in my estimation is for WILLARD, which used accordions to play the mad ratman. Surely the coolest, most fiendish use of the instrument in film scoring history. Topped off with a knowingly fearesome orchestra, WILLARD was pure, brilliant camp heaven.

I'll never forget my first meeting with Shirley while covering her work for INVISIBLE MAN- where the biggest monster was a feral cat that would keep attacking at any opportune moment. Shirley had a water bottle at the ready, playing a game of cat-and-mouse with her pet to see when a spritzing would be due.

Later on, I did liner notes for Shirley's terrific ESCAPE FROM LA score, a wonderful hodge-podge of ideas that remains one of my favorite action scores. When interviewing both her and John Carpenter, I could easily see how Snake Plissken's first composer knew, and appreciated that his hero was in good hands- a composer who never missed the satire in the gunplay.

Like the sadly missed Basil Poledouris, Shirley remains, in my estimation, one of the best symphonic composers that Hollywood has had in the last twenty years- someone who had a real grasp for melody and themes, no matter the blood-curdling, of super-fantastical situation she might be playing. And like Basil, she should have worked a whole lot more. But her fans more than knew of her talent, as could be witnessed by the people who showed for an ESCAPE FROM LA signing that she graciously attended at Creature Features.

I like to think that Shirley remains one of the true fan favorites among soundtrack appreciators. A woman who set the tone for dreams of super powers, and a person who could make you laugh and scream at the same time during a particulary nasty ending. And I know that despite Shirley's too-soon one, her music will continue to thrill us all. Aptly, her last score is for BLACK CHRISTMAS, one that will provide horror fans with more gruesome, musical delight.

This isn't any kind of official announcement. Just an appreciation. I'm sure there will be one shortly.

We appreciate the news, Dan.

This is truly devastating news.

I began watching Batman: The Animated Series in its premier season. I was exactly the target age for the show, and my interest in film and television music was just starting to take off. It didn't take long for me to become a devoted Shirley Walker fan. I would tape episodes and watch them over and over again, just for the music. I would memorize themes and passages and plunk them out on the piano. When I got the Mask of the Phantasm soundtrack, I was ecstatic. Over the years, I discovered other gems from her catalogue, and my admiration for her craft and love of her music only increased. I can honestly state she was one of my favorite composers. That she was not regularly signed to A-list pictures, and that much of her best work was allowed to languish unpublished was a source of constant frustration to me.

When the chance came to interview Mrs. Walker for FSM Online in September of this year, I was both very excited and very nervous. I needn't have been nervous. She put me at ease right away with her kind tone and open attitude. Words can't express what a pleasure that encounter was ... I had known she was a brilliant composer; I had not known -- firsthand, anyway -- what a smart, funny, and generous person she was. And now, not even three months later, words can't express my heartbreak. I had hoped that interview to be the first of many. I certainly never dreamed it would be the last interview (or one of the last) of her career.

I can't say that Shirley Walker was a friend -- a two-hour phone conversation (however wonderful and congenial) and a brief, tragically truncated e-mail correspondence do not, I think, entitle me to that great privilege. I do not hestitate, however, to call her an inspiration. As expressed through her craft and her art, she was, and forever will be, a source of joy, thrills and wonderment to me. It was my great good fortune to be able to tell her so, and to be able to share a little bit of her voice with the world.

I don't know if Mrs. Walker was a religious person, but I'd like to think that she's in a better place now -- reunited with her husband, and the two of them knowing all the peace that was denied them on Earth. My heartfelt condolences go out to her family, and also to the many composers and colleagues whose lives she touched.

As for me, I will put on some of her music, shed a few more tears, and cherish the memories I am blessed to have.

May she rest in peace.

I don't know, am I crazy?