I'm truly sorry to read of Jerry's death.  He'd been ill for a couple
of years, and during the last film he scored (I've forgotten which it
was--they do run together) he wasn't able to attend all the sessions.
I was fortunate enough to play on many of his films over the past decade,
and there was really no one like him.  That he was the consummate film
composer is beyond question, and I always marveled at the wide variety
of styles at his command.  He was also a fine "serious" composer, and
the LA Phil played one of his scores within the last year or so.

He was also quite the figure on the podium, his shoulder-length
white hair tied back in a pony-tail, and a no-nonsense, hyper-efficient
manner leavened by an endearingly acerbic sense of humor (I've been told
that in earlier years he was considerably more, er, volatile).  In a
business increasingly populated by semi-literates who could never even
get into music school, and whose only attainment might be a flair for
MIDI-programming, Goldsmith stood out as a titan amongst the dwarves.

Peace,

Roger Lebow
Sierra Madre, CA