March 16, 2001
Richard Stone, Composer for Cartoons, Dies at 47
By The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Richard Stone, whose musical compositions for popular cartoon shows like "Animaniacs" and "Freakazoid!" won him seven Emmys, died on March 9 of pancreatic cancer. He was 47.Mr. Stone grew up watching Warner Brothers' "Looney Tunes" cartoons in the 1950's and 60's. In college he studied cello and music composition.
He emulated the style of Carl Stalling, who composed hundreds of musical scores for classic Warner Brothers cartoons in the 1930's, 40's and 50's, and he incorporated elements of jazz, Broadway, country and rock music into his work.
Mr. Stone also carved out his own style on modern-day shows, winning Emmys for cartoons like "Animaniacs," "Freakazoid!" and "Histeria!" He also worked on the cartoons "Pinky and the Brain," "Taz- Mania," "Road Rovers" and "The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries," and scored several movies, including "Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat" and "Pumpkinhead."
He is survived by two sons, Richard and Michael; a sister, Bonnie Sunstein of Iowa City, Iowa; a brother, David, of Burbank, Calif.; and his mother, Janet, of Jenkintown, Pa.