Video game composer Geoff Follin, known for his role in crafting ‘80s and ‘’90s-era songs for the Nintendo Entertainment System, has passed away at the age of 58 from pancreatic cancer.
Follin’s passing was announced yesterday by his brother and fellow composer Tim in a Facebook post (spotted by Time Extension). According to Tim, Follin passed away earlier this week while awaiting scans from his pancreatic cancer diagnosis on May 7.
“The speed at which this has happened has been utterly brutal. He leaves behind an amazing wife and three amazing children, the oldest 19 and the youngest only 16. You can imagine how devastating this is for all of them and for the rest of us,” Tim wrote on Facebook. “He was four years older than me and I idolised him and copied him throughout my teens and throughout my life. He was the most empathic, caring, loving brother you could wish for, I loved him as much as it’s possible to love anyone.
The video game composing duo was well-known for pushing the Nintendo Entertainment System to its limits with musical techniques, resulting in a plethora of toe-tapping tunes. Their resume famously includes video game adaptations for popular pop culture movies and comic books like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, and Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade’s Revenge for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Geoff’s last musical contribution to the video games industry was the soundtrack for the 1995 Batman Forever 2D sidescrolling action game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, according to Time Extention.
“Geoff was too young for this. He never smoked, hardly drank, exercised regularly and ate healthily. He did everything you’re supposed to. And yet this happened,” Tim wrote, encouraging their longtime fans to consider donating to pancreatic cancer research organizations.
Isaiah Colbert is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow them on Twitter @ShinEyeZehUhh.
