Alf Clausen, the composer whose music underscored the animated world of “The simpsons” for 27 years, has passed away. He won multiple Emmy awards for his work.

His daughter, Kaarin Clausen, confirmed to The Associated Press that Alf Clausen died at his Los Angeles home on Thursday, following a decade-long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 84 years old.

Clausen, who also composed music for television series such as “moonlighting” and “Alf,” received 30 Emmy Award nominations throughout his career, with 21 nominations specifically for “The Simpsons.” He secured two wins for his compositions on the show.

Al Jean, a writer for “The Simpsons” during its early years, acknowledged clausen’s contribution on X, stating that “Clausen was an incredibly talented man who did so much for The Simpsons.”

While Danny Elfman created the iconic theme song, Clausen became a part of the fox animated series, created by Matt Groening, in 1990. from then until 2017, he was responsible for almost all of its music, composing around 600 scores and leading the 35-member orchestra that brought it to life in the studio.

According to his peers, Clausen’s music was integral to the show’s comedic affect. Clausen himself believed that the best approach to complement the humor of Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa was to keep the music earnest and sincere.

“This is a dream job for a composer,” Clausen told Variety in 1998. “Matt Groening said to me vrey early on, ‘We’re not a cartoon. We’re a drama where the characters are drawn.I wont you to score it like a drama.’ I score the emotions of the characters as opposed to specific action hits on the screen.”

Groening, in a 1996 interview, called him “one of the unacknowledged treasures of the show.”

Clausen was born in Minneapolis and spent his childhood in Jamestown, North Dakota. In 1966, he graduated from the Berklee College of Music and subsequently relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music.

During the 1970s,he served as a musical director for several TV variety programs,including “Donny & Marie.”

Clausen contributed as an orchestrator for composer Lee Holdridge, working on the scores for 1980s films such as “Splash” and “The Beastmaster.”

Holdridge initially secured the composing role for “Moonlighting,” the late-80s ABC romantic comedy detective series featuring Bruce willis and Cybil Shepherd, but later passed the opportunity to Clausen, who went on to receive six Emmy nominations for his musical contributions to the show.

Clausen received Emmy Awards for his work on “The Simpsons” in both 1997 and 1998. Additionally, he was honored with five annie Awards, which celebrate achievements in animation for film and television.

In 2017, he was dismissed from “The Simpsons” as part of a cost-cutting strategy, sparking controversy among his colleagues and fans. He subsequently filed a lawsuit regarding his termination.

Clausen is survived by his wife Sally, his children Kaarin, Scott, and Kyle, his stepchildren Josh and Emily, and 11 grandchildren.

Clausen’s Impact on Television Music

“We’re not a cartoon. We’re a drama where the characters are drawn.I want you to score it like a drama.”