Connecticut, USA (Agencies) July 4, 2025 — Mark Snow, the Emmy-nominated composer best known for creating the haunting theme of The X-Files, passed away at his home in Connecticut at the age of 78. His death marks the end of a prolific career that spanned nearly five decades and redefined the soundscape of television drama.
Born Martin Fulterman in Brooklyn on August 26, 1946, Snow studied at New York’s High School of Music and Art and later at the Juilliard School, where he roomed with fellow composer Michael Kamen. He adopted the pseudonym “Mark Snow” in the 1970s to avoid legal complications from a former employer and quickly became a fixture in Hollywood’s scoring scene.
Snow’s breakthrough came with The X-Files, where his eerie, whistling theme—accidentally discovered when he leaned on his keyboard—became a global hit, charting across Europe in 1996. He scored over 200 episodes of the series, as well as its two feature films, and collaborated closely with creator Chris Carter on spin-offs like Millennium, The Lone Gunmen, and Harsh Realm.
Beyond The X-Files, Snow composed music for Smallville, Blue Bloods, Ghost Whisperer, Hart to Hart, and Starsky & Hutch, earning 15 Emmy nominations throughout his career. He was among the first wave of composers to embrace synthesizers and electronic scoring, often producing entire episodes’ worth of music solo in his home studio.
Tributes poured in from across the entertainment industry. Composer Sean Callery (known for 24) described Snow as a mentor with “limitless talent and boundless creativity,” whose generosity and wisdom shaped generations of artists.
Snow is survived by his wife Glynnis, three daughters, and several grandchildren. His legacy lives on in the unmistakable sound of television’s most iconic mysteries—and in the hearts of fans who still believe “The Truth Is Out There.”