Composer Michael Kamen died yesterday after suffering from multiple sclerosis for several years. He was 55. Reports from news wires credit the Oscar-nominated man for his memorable work on the ‘Lethal Weapon’ films and ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’, but I remember him best for his Concerto for Saxophone featuring David Sanborn CD in 1990. If memory serves, the Concerto was written by Kamen especially for Sanborn with whom he worked on the ‘Lethal Weapon’ films. Kamen also worked with Eric Clapton on those films, and I believe I remember Kamen stating at that time that he had planned on writing a Concerto for Guitar featuring Eric Clapton.

Kamen had a distinctive style in his compositions. It was easy to hear the music in a preview for an upcoming film and recognize that he was the man behind it. He is survived by his wife Sandra, two daughters, three brothers, and his father.