On the evening of 22 October 2024, Grizzly 399 was fatally struck by a vehicle on Highway 26/89 in Snake River Canyon, south of Jackson, Wyoming. The bear’s identity was confirmed through ear tags and a microchip. The death of Grizzly 399 resounded around the world, lamented by wildlife experts and the public alike, and Eric Funk’s work, originally for French Horn and string orchestra, is a powerful and evocative lamentation with slow moving and atmospheric harmonies contrasting a mournful and compelling solo line.

Grizzly 399 reached the age of 28, becoming older than is usual for a grizzly
bear. She weighed almost 400 pounds (180 kg) and when standing upright on her hind legs, she was 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m).

On October 22, 2024 she was struck by a car and killed. She had given birth to 22 cubs over her lifetime, often litters of three or four, and taught them how to forage for food and even watch out for cars. She was the most well- known grizzly bear of all time, her death having a huge impact on many, many people internationally. She was the 399th bear to have been tagged and observed by wildlife scientists studying grizzly bears and their habitat.

Grizzly 399 lived in Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming, which are both adjacent to Yellowstone National Park. Bears tend to roam a wide area as opposed to staying in one area and tracking data reveals an impressive number of miles travelled.

“As I thought about her leaving, her nobility, strength, endurance, freedom and vulnerability in the forest brought music immediately into my imagination. I wrote it down exactly as I heard it in my mind’s ear. I mourn the loss but also wanted to lift her spirit high into the air. This music attempts to capture both.“ [Eric Funk]