Yahoo News The Simpsons Music Editor Chris Ledesma Dead Aged 64: 'We Miss Him'
Chris Ledesma/Instagram
The Simpsons' music editor has died.
Chris Ledesma's death was announced in a tribute featured in Sunday's episode. In honor of the 64-year-old, a Simpsons-style drawing of Ledesma appeared as his musical talent was put on display.
He was drawn sitting between Homer and Marge Simpson on the family's iconic orange couch. All the while, Bart, Maggie and Lisa were trying out different instruments as Ledesma directed them with a smile across his face.
No immediate cause of death for Ledesma has been revealed. PEOPLE reached out to Fox for comment.
Chris Ledesma was a sweet man who loved his job and was really, really good at it. We miss him. @mxedtr @TheSimpsons pic.twitter.com/XqKBjGLcwM
— Carolyn Omine (@CarolynOmine) January 2, 2023
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Across social media, Ledesma's Simpsons coworkers expressed gratitude for his time on the beloved animated series after his death.
"Chris Ledesma was a sweet man who loved his job and was really, really good at it," Carolyn Omine, a Simpsons writer, tweeted. "We miss him. @mxedtr @TheSimpsons"
Showrunner Matt Selman wrote, "Chris Ledesma was a sweet, goofy guy with a giant heart — his amazing musical life is played out over 33 years of @TheSimpsons."
Chris Ledesma/Instagram
Chris Ledesma was a sweet, goofy guy with a giant heart — his amazing musical life is played out over 33 years of @TheSimpsons https://t.co/27NwwuSh1s
— Matt Selman (@mattselman) January 3, 2023
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Matthew Schofield, a Simpsons animator, said that he was "shocked and saddened to learn of Chris Ledesma's recent passing." Schofield also shared a photo of Ledesma at work, writing, "He very kindly arranged for me to sit in on the scoring session for my episode 'Black Eyed, Please' (he's in the red shirt, that's me on the right)."
"A wonderful guy who genuinely loved his job," Schofield added. "RIP Chris."
I was shocked and saddened to learn of Chris Ledesma's recent passing. He very kindly arranged for me to sit in on the scoring session for my episode "Black Eyed, Please" (he's in the red shirt, that's me on the right). A wonderful guy who genuinely loved his job. RIP Chris. pic.twitter.com/ojFnNjftzG
— Matthew Schofield (@Mr_Schofield) January 3, 2023
Ledesma had been the show's music director since its very first episode premiering in 1989. He worked on the show for 33 years before stepping down from the position in May 2022.
At the time, Selman shared a sentimental message about Ledesma's 700+ episodes working on the series.
"Tonight was the last audio mix with our beloved and irreplaceable @TheSimpsons music editing maestro Chris Ledesma @mxedtr," he tweeted. "Chris we love you and I will forever miss you [sic] Tuesday morning phone calls where you patiently tell me my music notes are idiotic."
Chris Ledesma/Instagram
Ledesma previously shared a social media post acknowledging his longevity on the long-running series.
"Today is a significant milestone for me," he captioned an Instagram photo of Homer Simpson saying "woo!" in September 2021. "I am 23,242 days old, I have worked on The Simpsons for 11,621 days, Born 1/28/1958, First day on #TheSimpsons 11/22/1989, Not many can say they have worked at ANY job any more for LITERALLY half their lives."
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The Simpsons airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.
