LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alf Clausen, the Emmy-winning composer whose music provided essential accompaniment for the animated antics of “The Simpsons” for 27 years, has died.

His daughter Kaarin Clausen told The Associated Press that Alf Clausen died Thursday, May 29th at his home in Los Angeles after struggling with Parkinson’s Disease for about a decade. He was 84.

Clausen, who also scored TV series including “Moonlighting” and “Alf” (“no relation,” he used to joke) was nominated for 30 Emmy Awards, 21 of them for “The Simpsons,” winning twice.

Clausen was born in Minneapolis and raised in Jamestown, North Dakota. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 1966, and moved to Los Angeles seeking a career in music.

In the 1970s he was a musical director on several TV variety shows including “Donny & Marie.”

Clausen worked as an orchestrator for composer Lee Holdridge in his scores for 1980s films including “Splash” and “The Beastmaster.”

It was Holdridge who first got the composing job on “Moonlighting,” the late-80s ABC rom-com detective series starring Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepherd, but he handed the gig off to Clausen, who would get six Emmy nominations for his music on it.

Clausen won his Emmys for “The Simpsons” in 1997 and 1998 and also won five Annie Awards, which honor work in animation in film and television.

He was fired from “The Simpsons” in a cost-cutting move in 2017, to the outrage of his collaborators and fans. He sued over his dismissal.

Clausen is survived by his wife Sally, children Kaarin, Scott and Kyle, stepchildren Josh and Emily, and 11 grandchildren.