Lalo Schifrin, Mission: Impossible and Dirty Harry Composer, Dies at 93

Lalo Schifrin, a decorated film composer who most notably wrote the Mission: Impossible theme, died at 93 on Thursday, June 26.

His son, William Schifrin, confirmed his death to NPR. He died from complications of pneumonia, per Variety. PEOPLE has reached out to Schifrin’s rep for comment.

Schifrin earned six Oscar nominations and scored over 100 films, per the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2018 at the Academy’s Governors Awards Gala.

The composer, who was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in a Jewish-Argentine family, grew up surrounded by a diverse orchestra of musical inspiration. His father played violin in the Teatro Colon Opera, and Schifrin was a classically trained pianist.

He later played with tango icon Astor Piazzolla, represented Argentina in an international jazz festival in Paris and began a 16-piece jazz band, all while in his 20s. A chance encounter with American jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie inspired Schifrin to compose a piece called “Gillespiana,” resulting in Gillespie bringing Schifrin to the United States to bring his musical talents overseas, per NPR.

From there, Schifrin built momentum in Hollywood for his unique ability to incorporate the blend of tango and jazz influences from his childhood into many notable films, including the dramatic chase-driven crescendo of Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry franchise beginning in 1971.

Schifrin most notably composed the theme for the original television series Mission: Impossible, which ran from 1966 to 1973 on CBS. The series would go on to inspire the Tom Cruise-starring film franchise of the same name, which began in 1996. The final installment, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, was released on May 23. The film series uses Schifrin’s theme for its opening credit sequences.

The composer also notably scored Cool Hand Luke starring Paul Newman in 1967, Enter the Dragon in 1973, The Amityville Horror in 1979, and more. Schifrin made a cameo appearance in Red Dragon, a prequel film to Hannibal and The Silence of the Lambs, as an orchestra conductor in 2002.

Schifrin’s sleek, jazzy track “Danube Incident” from the Mission: Impossible soundtrack has been sampled by a number of contemporary artists, most notably on English rock band Portishead’s “Sour Times,” released in 1994.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

He is survived by his wife Donna and three children, William Schifrin, Frances Schifrin, Ryan Schifrin, and four grandchildren.