RNZ Life reporters Mark Smythe, a New Zealand-born composer based in the United States, has died during a hiking trip.  His sister, Kate Ward-Smythe, said in a post on social media that he collapsed and passed away suddenly while with friends on Mount Wilson in Los Angeles, on Saturday. According to his obituary, Smythe was 53 when he died following an unexpected cardiac event. He was a composer of film and concert music, and his score for the Australian horror film The Reef: Stalked was nominated for the SCL Awards (the Society of Composers and Lyricists) in the US and the World Soundtrack Awards in Belgium. He was also the department head for composing for visual media at the Los Angeles College of Music. Kate Ward-Smythe said in her post she was grateful to her brother's friends who tried to hard to resuscitate him, alongside first-responders. "Mark was a strong larger than life connector in LA, as a professor, composer, musician, and loyal friend.…