The Simpsons music editor Chris Ledesma dies aged 64 as show pays tribute

The fitting tribute was displayed below an animated version of Chris holding a conductor's baton. In the shot, he's seated among the Simpsons clan with Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart and Maggie all present on screen.

Ledesma worked on every episode of The Simpsons during his 33-year run as the show's music editor. He joined in 1989 and stepped down from his role in May 2022.

In September 2021, Chris had taken to Twitter to mark a "significant" milestone as he confirmed he had worked on The Simpsons for "half" of his life.

He wrote: "Today is a significant milestone for me. I am 23,242 days old I have worked on The Simpsons for 11,621 days. Born 1/28/1958. First day on #TheSimpsons 11/22/1989. Not many can say they have worked at ANY job any more for LITERALLY half their lives."

Members of The Simpsons crew took to Twitter to remember Ledesma and his legacy, with executive producer Matt Selman posting a screenshot of the included tribute scene.

"Chris Ledesma was one of the kindest, mega-talented people working on a crew full of kind, mega-talented people," Simpsons writer and producer Josh Weinstein said in a statement. "I hadn't worked with him in a while but his friendliness over Twitter these last few years was truly felt. Rest in peace, dear Chris."

Similarly, new music editor Jake Schaefer wrote: "Chris Ledesma’s passion for music and for The Simpsons was an inspiration. I’m grateful for the time I got to spend with him this year. He was a great mentor and a genuine person. My heart goes out to his family. Rest In Peace Chris."

Writer Carolyn Omine also wrote: "Chris Ledesma was a sweet man who loved his job and was really, really good at it. We miss him."