A few minutes after I finished posting that old Batman clip in my previous post, Jeff Trexler emailed me to let me know that Neal Hefti, who wrote the theme to the 1960s Batman song, died on Saturday.

The New York Times reports that the 85-year-old composer died “suddenly from an undetermined cause.” In addition to his work for Hollywood on shows like Batman and The Odd Couple, he was also a noted jazz trumpeter, arranger, conductor and record producer who worked with Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Mel Tormé and Tony Bennett.

“He told me he tore up more paper on Batmanthan on any other work he ever did,” his son Paul told the Times. “He had to find something that worked with the lowest common denominator, so it would appeal to kids, yet wouldn’t sound stupid. What he came up with was a 12-bar blues with a guitar hook and one word.”

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