ScoreKeeper here with the kind of news I’m not fond of reporting. On October 11, 2008, American film composer, arranger, and trumpeter, Neal Hefti passed away suddenly at the age of 85.

A native of Hastings, Nebraska, Hefti had an amazingly diverse and prolific musical career which began composing and arranging for a variety of jazz legends including Woody Herman and Count Basie.

In the 1950s and 60s Hefti found his way to Hollywood where he penned scores for a variety of feature films including HOW TO MURDER YOUR WIFE (1965) and DUEL AT DIABLO (1966) which was recently released on CD by Film Score Monthly as part of their twelve disc box set entitled THE MGM SOUNDTRACK TREASURY.

For all of his accomplishments, Neal Hefti stands to be remembered most by his themes and scores for the original BATMAN (1967-68) series and THE ODD COUPLE (1970-1975). Both of these themes remain two of the most recognizable tunes in television history.

On behalf of Ain’t It Cool News, I’d like to extend our condolences to the Hefti family with assurance that Neal’s legacy will never be forgotten.

Let’s give Neal Hefti one final crazy chord to accompany one final celebratory…

ScoreKeeper