James Horner: 10 of the famed composer's most memorable scores

James Horner, the two-time Oscar-winning composer behind Céline Dion's megahit My Heart Will Go On from the 1997 blockbuster Titanic, is dead after a single-engine plane crash in Southern California.

• James Horner, Titanic composer, dead in plane crash

His agent said the 61-year-old was flying the single-engine aircraft that crashed and burned Monday morning in a remote forest area 160 kilometres northwest of Los Angeles.

More than 100 movies

For three decades, Horner's musical talents played on the heartstrings Hollywood movie fans. The classically trained musician composed for more than 100 films inducing Braveheart and An American Tail.

Here are 10 of the most memorable soundtracks by the award-winning American composer.

1. Titanic

Horner took his two Academy Award wins from his work on James Cameron's disaster epic Titanic, including original dramatic score, and original song for My Heart Will Go On, which was co-written by lyricist Will Jennings and performed by Céline Dion. The song would become Canadian chanteuse's biggest hit and the score for Titanic would go on to sell 27 million copies worldwide.

2. Braveheart

Horner explored his love of Celtic motifs in the music for Mel Gibson's Anglo-Scottish war drama. He also conducted the London Symphony Orchestra in the recording of the score.

3. A Beautiful Mind

Horner said he was inspired by the movement of a kaleidoscope in bringing to life his vision of how number work for Ron Howard's 2001 John Nash biopic, A Beautiful Mind. The complex and beautiful score garnered Golden Globe and Oscar nods. 

4. An American Tail

Children of the '80s will likely remember Somewhere Out There, the lonely anthem of two young mice from 1986's An American Tail (Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram would go on to win a Grammy for their version of the song). Horner scored many family friendly titles over his career, including The Land Before Time, The Rocketeer and Jumanji.

5. Field of Dreams

Horner says he knew nothing about baseball when he scored the moody and wistful soundtrack for Field of Dreams, Phil Alden Robinson's 1989 fantasy/drama about America's national pastime. "I think I may have lied to get the movie," Horner admitted in an interview with Robinson.

6. Apollo 13

Horner earned an Oscar nod for his score to the 1995 blockbuster space drama Apollo 13. The film was documentary in nature, therefore Horner had to observe rather than manipulate. Notable was the opening trumpet theme which evokes a sense of heroism with remarkable restraint.

7. Legends of the Fall

Horner lost the 1994 Golden Globe for best original score to Hans Zimmer's The Lion King, but Horner's haunting score for Legends is considered by many to be one of his finest, most melodic and beautiful orchestrations. Recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, the soundtrack captures the film's themes of romance, drama and tragedy.

8. Aliens

Horner received this first Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his work with James Cameron on the 1986 science-fiction horror Aliens. Despite being fairly inexperienced when he took the job, Horner's thrilling and ambient orchestrations, and use of electronic elements, were so effective, they've become a hallmark of the genre.

9. Cocoon 

Horner tackled the supernatural again in Ron Howard's 1985 sci-fi drama about a group of Florida retirees rejuvenated by aliens. The movie also marked the beginning of Horner's working relationship with Howard. The men collaborated on seven films, including Willow, Apollo 13, and A Beautiful Mind.

10. Avatar

James Cameron asked Horner to collaborate with him a third time for the 2009 sci-fi epic. Horner's soundtrack included his signature orchestral and electronic signatures as well as lyrics composed in an alien language. The composer talked about working on as many as four planned Avatar sequels in an interview posted on YouTune in April.