, the Emmy-nominated composer behind the haunting theme of
The X-Files, has died at the age of 78. A representative confirmed his death on Friday(July 4) at his home in Connecticut, according to Rolling Stone.Snow, born Martin Fulterman in Brooklyn on August 26, 1946, was best known for creating one of the most recognizable television theme songs of the 1990s. The eerie, whistling tune he composed for The X-Files became a cultural touchstone, so distinctive it reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart and was later named one of the “100 Greatest TV Theme Songs of All Time” by Rolling Stone in 2022.
Trained at Juilliard, Snow began his career writing orchestral music, but transitioned to electronic scoring as television production evolved. Across his decades-long career, he composed music for over 200 episodes of
The X-Files, as well as other major series including Ghost Whisperer, Smallville, T.J. Hooker, Hart to Hart, and Blue Bloods. He was a frequent collaborator with X-Files creator Chris Carter and also scored the spinoff series Millennium.
Snow received 15 Emmy nominations over his lifetime, six of them for The X-Files. He also earned nominations for Ghost Whisperer, and several television miniseries and specials, including An American Story, Children of the Dust, and Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All.
In a 2016 interview with the Television Academy, Snow recalled that the legendary
X-Files theme came about by accident; he hit a key with his elbow while experimenting on a keyboard, and the sound that followed became the eerie foundation of the series. “There was much more control, and the spectrum of sound really warmed up and started to breathe,” he said of the shift to electronic music. “These electronic instruments could really make something approximating music.”
Snow was respected as a generous mentor and family man. “He would give the most inspiring and intelligent feedback,” fellow composer Sean Callery said in tribute. Snow is survived by his wife, Glynnis, their three daughters, and several grandchildren.
Net worth
Mark Snow’s net worth has not been publicly disclosed, and no credible sources have provided an estimate.
