You may not know his name, but you'll know his work.
Chris Ledesma, who worked as music editor on every episode of the iconic animated series The Simpsons since its inception in 1989 until May 2022, has died. He was 64.
A recent episode of the program showed an animated version of Ledesma seated alongside Homer Simpson and family on their famous couch, holding a conductor's baton with a title card reading "In loving memory of Chris Ledesma".
Tributes have been flowing on social media, including from Simpsons writer Carolyn Omine, showrunners Matt Selman and Al Jean, and current music editor Jake Schaefer.
Ledesma worked on more than 700 episodes of the show and on September 17, 2021, posted about a "significant milestone".
On his personal blog, Ledesma wrote about producing music for The Simpsons and blogged about the "highs and lows" of his career and involvement with the show since November 1989.
He also described the job of music editing in detail, including how he used to sum up his work to people who asked:
"The simple explanation I give most often is, 'the composer is the creative guy who dreams up the music, I am the technical guy who makes sure it gets into the show on time and in sync.'"
Music you can't get out of your head
As well as being a cultural phenomenon, The Simpsons produced many classic musical moments.
Lisa Simpson famously played the saxophone, and is seen on the opening credits belting out the iconic theme song.
Other songs of note include Lisa, It's Your Birthday, in an episode which features Michael Jackson voicing a psychiatric patient who believes he is a pop star.
The Monorail Song is another memorable moment, as is Sending Our Love Down the Well in an episode where Bart Simpson impersonates an imaginary boy, Timmy O'Toole, who he pretends has fallen down a well.
Sting guest stars in the episode, voicing his likeness for a charity single.
And The Simpsons' ninth season in 1998 saw the series' first-ever musical episode, All Singing, All Dancing, which featured a reprise of some previous favourites, including Who Needs The Kwik E Mart, and a guest appearance from an actual Beatle in the shape of George Harrison.
The Simpsons is streaming on Disney+.
