James Horner and Autism
- Lukas Kendall
- Oct 30, 2024
- 1 min read
James Horner was such a mysterious figure to me during his lifetime. He was one of the only major composers I never met or even saw in person. But since his tragic passing his widow and daughter have been increasingly public about his unique personality—including an autism diagnosis.
Many thanks to the World Soundtrack Awards for putting this panel discusson on YouTube with composer Michael Levine, Sara and Emily Horner, and Linda Sonck, incoming director of the Fleming Autism Association:
Super insightful and very warm and human, too!
I can never forget the first time I watched that video. Learning that he was on the autism spectrum brings a smile on my face, and my admiration for him grew stronger. I’m also on the autism spectrum and it’s why finding out about that brings a smile on my face.
Good grief. Everyone is self-diagnosed and on the - quote-unquote - spectrum these days. Autism is rare and is usually diagnosed by doctors, not flaky Hollywod types.