Dishonored and Silent Hill composer Daniel Licht dies following cancer battle

Composer Daniel Licht has died at the age of 60 following a battle with cancer. Licht was best known for his work on all eight seasons of TV series Dexter, as well as video games Dishonored and Silent Hill: Downpour.

Variety broke the news of his death, with tributes following on Twitter from those who knew and worked with the Massachusetts native. Fellow composer Austin Wintory described him as a "genuinely kind man".

Licht's work was rooted in the horror genre, with work in the early days of his career including Children of the Corn, two Amityville films, a Hellraiser sequel and numerous other scare flicks.

His first work in the video game industry came in collaboration with Konami on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 title Silent Hill: Downpour, and later Silent Hill: Book of Memories for PlayStation Vita. Both titles were released in 2012.

That same year he composed the score for Bethesda's stylish stealth action game Dishonored. His work was praised for how well it complimented the unique, steam punk-ish world developer Arkane Studios created for its cult classic.

Last year Licht composed the score for its celebrated sequel. He also worked on music for upcoming standalone expansion Death of the Outsider, which will be his final soundtrack.

On Twitter, Dishonored's co-creative director Harvey Smith said: "So sad to hear of Daniel Licht's passing. Dishonored would not be the same without Dan's music."

Licht's most famous work will remain his Dexter soundtracks, for which he made use a wide variety of unconventional "instruments", including bones, knives, wine glasses, tape and scissors.

The show's executive producer Clyde Phillips said of Licht: "Dan was an incredibly talented musician and composer, but most of all, he was a dear friend. His passing leaves all of us a bit quieter, a bit sadder, and without the gift of his music and his love."