Perfect Scores: James Horner's Most Memorable Movie Music

James Horner won two Academy Awards for his work on ‘Titanic’ (Reuters)

If you love movies, then you know the music of James Horner. The Academy Award-winning composer died in plane crash Monday at the age of 61, leaving behind a breathtaking body of work that included more than 100 movie scores, among them such celebrated films as Aliens, Glory, Apollo 13, Braveheart, and of course Titanic, which won him Oscars for Best Score and Best Song, for the soaring, singular ballad “My Heart Will Go On.” There are simply too many to list, but here are eight of our very favorite James Horner compositions to listen to in his honor.

Aliens (1986)

Horner earned his first Best Original Score Oscar nomination for his tense orchestral work on James Cameron’s classic sci-fi sequel.

An American Tail (1986)

At the behest of producer Steven Spielberg, Horner collaborated with Barry Mann (music) and Cynthia Weil (lyrics) on four songs for the Don Bluth-directed mouse tale, including the tear-jerking ballad “Somewhere Out There.” The song became a hit for Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram that eventually picked up a Grammy for Song of the Year.

Apollo 13 (1995)

Horner frequently scored the films of director Ron Howard, including Cocoon, Willow, A Beautiful Mind, and this singular space drama, which earned him a nomination for Best Score.

Avatar (2009)

The composer incorporated heavy percussion and indigenous-inspired sounds into the score for longtime collaborator James Cameron’s all-time box-office champion. Horner earned his 10th (and most recent) Academy Award nomination for this work.

Braveheart (1995)

Horner conducted the London Symphony Orchestra to craft the Oscar-nominated score for Mel Gibson’s Best Picture winner.

Field of Dreams (1989)

Horner again tugged heartstrings with the poignant score — which earned him yet another Oscar nod — for this Kevin Costner-starring baseball drama.

Glory (1989)

Horner worked with the Boys Choir of Harlem to score this acclaimed Civil War drama directed by Edward Zwick. While it didn’t earn an Oscar, Horner did win a Grammy Award for his soundtrack work.

Titanic (1997)

Horner composed the hugely popular Céline Dion-crooned “My Heart Will Go On” and won two Oscars for his work on the Cameron-helmed Best Picture winner, taking home both Best Original Song (shared with Will Jennings, who wrote the lyrics) and Best Original Dramatic Score.