The writer of possibly the catchiest piece of music ever, the 'Addams Family' theme tune, Vic Mizzy died at home in LA on Saturday aged 93, his manager Jonathan Wolfson has confirmed.
Born in New York, Mizzy began writing music for TV in the late 1950s, starting with the music for 'Shirley Temple's Storybook'. However, he had been writing songs for the stars of the day, including Doris Day, Dean Martin, Billie Holiday and Perry Como, for more than fifteen years by that point, with many of his biggest hits becoming popular while he was serving in the Navy during the Second World War.
He continued to write for TV and film right into the 21st century, with his most recent work used in 'Spiderman 2'. But it was the 'Addams Family' theme tune which remained his most successful piece, both in terms of popularity and financially. Mizzy insisted on retaining the publishing rights for the song after submitting it to the makers of the show. It was an unusual move but one that proved sensible, as it has been used regularly since it was composed in the 60s, including in the 90s 'Addams Family' films, at basketball games played by the LA Lakers, and on a recent Tetley Tea TV advertising campaign (albeit with the lyrics re-written).
Wolfson told Billboard: "He was smart enough to demand to own the song, which was unheard of at the time. So any time you go to a Lakers game and they play that song, he made money".
Mizzy is survived by a brother, daughter and two grandchildren. The cause of his death has not yet been announced.