Doom and Duke Nukem 3D composer Bobby Prince dies on June 16

Bobby Prince died on June 16, 2026, according to an obituary published on Legacy.com. Born March 12, 1945, Prince became one of the defining composers and sound designers of 1990s PC gaming through his work on Doom, Doom II, Wolfenstein 3D, Rise of the Triad, and Duke Nukem 3D.

The immediate player-facing legacy is the sound of early id Software and 3D Realms shooters. Prince's MIDI-era riffs and effects gave games like Doom a musical identity that stayed recognizable across decades of ports, remasters, fan projects, and later franchise revivals.

The obituary also gives context for the path that led there. Prince served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and later worked in counseling and law before moving into game audio. It notes that he received a Video Game Industry Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005, and that the original Doom soundtrack was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress in 2026.

The r/Games thread became a track-by-track memorial. Commenters named At Doom's Gate, Rise of the Triad cuts, and Duke Nukem 3D themes, while others clarified Prince's original Doom role against later Mick Gordon arrangements. Original obituary: Legacy.com.