The iconic animated television show remembers the late music editor who had worked on every episode of the long-running sitcom since its 1989 inception.
- Jan 3, 2023
AceShowbiz - "The Simpsons" star Chris Ledesma has passed away aged 64. The music editor - who had worked on every episode of the iconic animated show from its launch in 1989 until 2022 - has died while no cause of death has been revealed.
"In loving memory of Chris Ledesma," read a title card on the long running show as they paid homage to Ledesma over the weekend. An animated version of the late star was then shown holding his conductor's baton on the iconic sofa with Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, with the children joining in with the music.
Back on September 16, 2021 Ledesma reflected on passing a "significant milestone" after becoming 23,242 days old, and having worked on the show for 11,621 days. He wrote on Twitter, "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. #Grateful #Blessed."
Al Jean - who was one of the first members of the show's original writing team - has led tribute to Ledesma. He tweeted, "A wonderful, hard working, very talented man who will be missed by all he knew."
Former showrunner Josh Weinstein added, "Chris Ledesma was one of the kindest, mega-talented people working on a crew full of kind, mega-talented people. I hadn't worked with him in a while but his friendliness over twitter these last few years was truly felt. Rest in peace, dear Chris."
And animator Matthew Schofield reflected on his experience working on the show. He said, "He very kindly arranged for me to sit in on the scoring session for my episode 'Black Eyed, Please'... A wonderful guy who genuinely loved his job. RIP Chris."
And "The Simpsons" writer Carolyn Omine tweeted, "Chris Ledesma was a sweet man who loved his job and was really, really good at it. We miss him."
Jake Schaefer - a music editor who was inspired by Ledesma's "passion for music" - reflected, "Chris Ledesma's passion for music and for @TheSimpsons was an inspiration. I'm grateful for the time I got to spend with him this year. He was a great mentor and a genuine person. My heart goes out to his family. Rest In Peace Chris."
