Japanese musician Akira Ifikube has died at the age of 91. The composer, who wrote the theme to the original 1954 Godzilla movie, died of multiple organ failure. Ifikube, born in 1914 in Hokkaido, taught himself music as a teenager, but began his career rather differently, working as a forestry officer until after World War Two. His first success came in 1935, when he won a competition promoted by Russian composer Alexander Nikolayevich Tcherepnin, going on to produce more than 300 musical pieces during his career, as well as receiving one of Japan's highest honours, A Person Of Cultural Merit Award, in 2003.
Feb 13, 2006
•
1 min read
Godzilla composer dies
Japanese composer Akira Ifikube, who wrote the theme to the 1954 Godzilla film, has died aged 91 of multiple organ failure.