‘He Left an Incredible Mark on Games and on My Life’ — Doom Composer Bobby Prince Dies at 81

Robert Caskin ‘Bobby’ Prince III, the composer behind classic ’90s games like Doom and Duke Nukem 3D, has died at 81.

The legendary video game musician passed away Tuesday, June 16, his family has confirmed. In an obituary posted following his death, they say they “wish to express their deepest gratitude to the countless ‘Earth Angels’ at Dollywood and Beyond, whose prayers, kindness, encouragement, and loving care surrounded Bobby throughout his illness.” The details of his illness were not specified.

Even some of the most casual video game enjoyers have likely heard Prince’s work in games before. For example, he helped shape the atmosphere for video games in the 1990s through his work on projects like Wolfenstein 3D in 1992 and Duke Nukem 2 in 1993.

Prince then went on to truly leave his mark on the gaming space as composer for both Doom and Doom 2, which both feature metal-infused soundtracks that have influenced not only recent Doom entries but countless other games for decades. He also worked on Duke Nukem 3D, Realms of Chaos, and Rise of the Triad.

After his career in games saw him working with developers like id Software and 3D Realms, the Doom soundtrack was inducted into the National Recording Registry just two months ago. At the time, a spokesperson said the game’s “adrenaline-fueled soundtrack” was key to its popularity.

“Despite the limitations of the 1993-era sound card drivers, Prince composed the perfect riff-shredding accompaniment for the game’s demon-slaying journey to hell and back,” they said at the time. “Taking advantage of his knowledge of MIDI, Prince even worked to ensure that the sound effects he created could cut through the music by assigning them to different MIDI frequencies. The ‘Doom’ soundtrack would go on to inspire countless remixes and lay the foundation for future generations of game composers.”

Before his work in games, Prince also served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War and pursued a career in counseling and law. His friends, family, and collaborators have already taken to social media to share fond memories and condolences following his passing. One of the first to post a message on social media was Doom co-designer John Romero.

“Everyone at Romero Games is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Bobby Prince,” Romero said. “He left an incredible mark on games and on my life.”

“Bobby was a prolific creator,” 3D Realms/Apogee Software co-founder George Broussard said. “Looking back and considering his body of work, he was essentially the Hans Zimmer of early shareware games. And all of that came from him being so passionate about music, and video games which were just emerging, that it started as a hobby and was the polar opposite of being a lawyer.”

“Bobby was all about spreading love and positivity,” fellow Doom composer Andrew Hulshult said. “He wanted everyone to get along. He was incredibly supportive of my work. I am truly honored to have been given the privilege of covering his work. Rest easy Bobby Prince.”

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).