Legendary film composer James Horner, perhaps best known for his scores for Titanic, Braveheart, and Field of Dreams among others, was killed when the plane he was piloting crashed near Santa Barbara, CA.

Though he might not have had the name recognition John Williams (Star Wars, Superman, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter) or Jerry Goldsmith (Rambo, Star Trek, Poltergeist) Horner's scores are among the finest in Hollywood score history. As a fan of film scores, I've always loved his music, especially his work on the Star Trek films, Braveheart, The Rocketeer, and Aliens. He was completing work on the sequels to James Cameron's Avatar, which Horner also scored.

I've selected a few of my favorite pieces by Horner in honor of his passing. Enjoy, and if you've never heard of James Horner or his music, prepare for some of the most thrilling and stirring music you'll ever hear.

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