In 1986, he won a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, for his contributions to the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack.
He was the brother of Michael Sembello.
Danny Sembello drowned in the Schuylkill River near Philadelphia, on August 15, 2015.
He was first reported missing after he went for a swim during a music festival in Manayunk.