Renowned "Titanic" composer's historic career
For more than three decades, James Horner brought films to life by creating some of the most memorable scores in movie history, reports "CBS This Morning" co-host Charlie Rose.
The 61-year-old is now feared dead after his small plane went down Monday in a remote area north of Santa Barbara, California.
Horner described himself as a chameleon: transforming into something unique for each film.
"Right from the first movie, I fell in love with writing for film," he said on "Charlie Rose" in 2001.
He spoke about how he chose his projects.
"I need something I can spiritually feel like I can create something for. I have to feel like I'm part of this fusion of a film," Horner said.
His greatest success came in 1997, when he composed the music for the movie "Titanic" -- a score that would become the best-selling orchestral film soundtrack of all time.
He was awarded two Oscars, including one for co-writing Celine Deon's "My Heart Will Go On."
"I was interested in pulling something out that was very, very human, very small in a way, and extremely intimate and giving it sort of a timeless feel," he told CBS in 1997.
Horner was working as a music professor before he made the transition to composing for film. He worked on more than 150 motion pictures.
In 2006, he turned his talents to television when he composed the theme music for the "CBS Evening News."
Considered to be one of the greatest film composers of his generation, Horner said it took a rare skill to impact today's audience through the use of classical music.
"When you marry the music to the scene, somehow it transcends what it was. It's the two of them. It's the two art forms combined that do it. It's something that I am just always in awe of."