Mark Smythe, a New Zealand-born and L.A.-based composer, died Saturday after a medical emergency on the Mount Wilson hiking trail near Los Angeles. He was 53.
The L.A. Coroner’s office reported that the cause of death was cardiovascular disease. The rescue team said in a statement, “Sierra Madre Search and Rescue extends our condolences to the family and friends of the deceased man. We also extend our thanks to the man’s friends and other hikers who assisted today.”
Smythe was nominated for an SCL Award and a World Soundtrack Award for his score for Hulu’s “The Reef: Stalked” in 2023. Among his other composing credits were horror movie “The Possessed,” rom-com “Love You Like That,” horror movie “Boar” and war adventure “Unfallen.” He was selected as a Composer Fellow for the 2024 Choral Arts Initiative PREMIERE|Project Festival, which included the premiere of his “Song of the Sea – Part I” for choir and electric guitar.
He also served as COO of the Society of Composers and Lyricists for several years. Smythe was a frequent participant and guest at The Night Temple, a composer community with monthly performances. The next performance on Saturday evening will be hosted in his honor.
Composer Bear McCreary paid tribute to Smythe on Facebook, writing “I’m shaken to hear of the shocking and untimely passing of Mark Smythe, a prominent figure in the Los Angeles film scoring community, particularly with the Society of Composers and Lyricists, and a talented composer in his own right. Mark’s enthusiasm and humor were off the charts. He brought a shark with a bowtie to the red carpet of an SCL awards ceremony when he was nominated for his work on a shark movie – hilarious! When he found out I was writing a metal album, he curated his favorite German folk metal bands for me (turning me on to his favorite band, Finsterforst).”
Smythe played in several rock bands in New Zealand and has a masters in screen composition from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. He taught media composition at Cal State University, Northridge and served as Department Head of Composing for Visual Media at Los Angeles College of Music.
