R.I.P. Vangelis

Vangelis Read More movies We♥Movies is a directory/catalog of old Martial Arts films and collectible movies..

Vangelis (credit Decca Records)

(Read more Musicians who died in 2022 )

Word is coming out that Vangelis, the Greek composer and musician died at age 79. 

He was best known for his various synth film soundtracks including Blade Runner and Chariots of Fire and representatives said he died in a French hospital where he was being treated.

Born Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou in 1943, he was mostly self-taught. He grew up in Athens and playing the organ, formed his first band called the Forminx in 1963, playing pop music, rock’n’roll, and Beatles covers.

He once turned down an invitation from Yes to replace Rick Wakeman on keyboards (but would later form a successful duo with Yes singer Jon Anderson), he then moved to London and signed a solo deal with RCA Records, composing solo work as well as film soundtracks.

In 1981, his score for Chariots of Fire won the Oscar and has become iconic to this day. Vangelis followed that with his iconic score to Blade Runner – “We’re living in a kind of Blade Runner world now,” he said in 2005.

Other soundtracks that decade included Missing, The Bounty, Francesco and others. Vangelis worked again with Blade Runner director, Ridley Scott on 1492: Conquest of Paradise, and scored various documentaries by Jacques Cousteau.

In the world of sport, Vangelis was commissioned to soundtrack the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, and the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

More recently, he had been fascinated with outer space and his final album, 2021’s Juno to Jupiter, was inspired by the launch and mission of NASA probe Juno.

John ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com