Ennio Morricone, Italian Oscar-winning composer died at 91, Italian news agency ANSA said on Monday. Ennio was known for composing the unforgettable scores to Spaghetti Westerns like A Fistful of Dollars and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly that more or less defined a cinematic era. 

Reports state that Ennio had broken his femur a few days back and died at night in a clinic in Rome. He was born in 1928, and Ennio went on to write scores for more than 400 films from horror to comedy genres. Ennio's melodies were arguably more famous than the films that he wrote them for.

Soon after his death was confirmed, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte tweeted saying, "We will always remember, with infinite gratitude, the artistic genius of the Maestro #EnnioMorricone. It made us dream, feel excited, reflect, writing memorable notes that will remain indelible in the history of music and cinema."

For the uninformed, Ennio was nominated for the coveted Oscars six times for Days of Heaven, The Mission, The Untouchables, Bugsy, Malena, and The Hateful Eight. In the year 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences presented him with an honorary Oscar for "his magnificent and multifaceted contributions to the art of film music." He was the second composer in Oscar history to receive an honorary award for his body of work.

In addition to his honorary Oscar, he received seven of Italy’s David di Donatello awards, a Golden Globe for The Legend of 1900, a Grammy, and another BAFTA for The Untouchables, ASCAP’s Golden Soundtrack Award and the career achievement award of the Film Music Society. Ennio is survived by wife Maria Travia and their four children.