Vangelis dead aged 79 – Oscar winning composer who penned Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner scores dies
OSCAR-winning composer Vangelis has died at the age of 79.
The world-renowned musician is best known for winning the 1981 Academy Award for Best Original Score for the film “Chariots of Fire”.
He also scored Ridley’s Scott “Blade Runner” and wrote music for films including “The Bounty”.
His representatives said the Greek national died in hospital in France.
Born Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou on March 29, 1943 near the city of Volos in central Greece, Vangelis started playing the piano at age 4, although he got no formal training and claimed he never learned to read notes.
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He played in several bands and solo, but his huge breakthrough came with the score for Chariots of Fire, a 1981 film that told the story of two British runners in the 1920s.
Vangelis’s score received one of the four Academy Awards the film won.
The signature piece is one of the hardest-to-forget movie tunes worldwide and has also served as the musical background to endless slow-motion parodies.
Tributes have been pouring in for the musical genius.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted: “Vangelis Papathanassiou is no longer with us.
“The world of music has lost the international (artist) Vangelis.”
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