Music was raised in Duluth, Minnesota where he attended the University of Minnesota. There he met his wife, Henrietta, and they formed a comedy duo Gerald and His Hen. They performed successfully for 8 years.
Music changed his first name to Lorenzo for spiritual reasons.
Music was the creator of The Bob Newhart Show which went on the air in 1972 and ran for seven years. He also co-wrote the theme song to the show with Henrietta. He continued writing for the Mary Tyler Moore Show spin-off Rhoda. While casting Rhoda, the producers were looking for a voice-actor to play the part of a character that would be heard but never seen: Carlton the doorman. When they heard Music's sleepy, husky voice, they offered him that role, which made his voice recognizable to a worldwide television audience.
In 1976, Lorenzo and Henrietta were given the opportunity to host a television variety show of their own. The Lorenzo and Henrietta Music Show was produced in an era with a glut of television variety shows and did not last.
At the end of Rhoda, Music negotiated with the network for his own spin-off show. Carlton Your Doorman debuted in 1980 to mixed reviews and poor ratings. It was quickly cancelled.
In 1982, Jim Davis's comic stripGarfield was the most popular strip in America. Compilation books of the strip were topping best seller lists and Davis was negotiating to make an animated television special. Producers needed someone to voice the main character in the strip: Garfield, a lazy, oafish and demanding cat. After one audition, Music was cast as the voice of Garfield. At this time, Music was voicing the character of Pac-Man in an animated series based on the video game.
Until 1991, Music's voice became an American staple as no less than 12 Garfield television specials (and a Garfield show that ran for 7 years) were produced. Music was called upon to help write and produce the shows as well. In the interim he became a favorite in the animation community voicing characters for shows like Tale Spin, The Real Ghostbusters, The Gummi Bears and Darkwing Duck. In 1994, Garfield and Friends went off the air and Music retired from the entertainment industry.
In 2001, Music died from complications with lung and bone cancer. He is survived by his wife, Henrietta; his daughters Roz and Leilani and his sons Fernando and Sam. Daughter Roz is a prominent Hollywood make-up artist (Adaptation; The Virgin Suicides).
