Composer of Chariots on Fire dies
<p dir="ltr">The award-winning composer of the popular <em>Chariots on Fire</em> has died at the age of 79. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Vangelis, born Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou, was being treated for Covid-19 at a French hospital when he died on May 17.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called Vangelis "a pioneer of the electronic sound."</p>
<p dir="ltr">"He began his long journey on the Chariots of Fire," Mitsotakis wrote on Twitter. </p>
<p dir="ltr">"From there he will always send us his notes."</p>
<p dir="ltr">His record label Decca also issued a statement remembering his music that will live on forever.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Vangelis created music of extraordinary originality and power, and provided the soundtrack to so many of our lives,” the statement read.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“His music will live on forever.”</p>
<p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8a-HfNE3EIo" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p dir="ltr">Vangelis is best known for his opening music in the 1981 film <em>Chariots of Fire</em> which saw him win an Academy Award for Best Musical Score.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The film was at the top of the Billboard 200 for four weeks and Vangelis’s song was nominated for Record of the Year Grammy. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Vangelis also worked on making the soundtrack for Ridley Scott’s 1982 <em>Blade Runner</em>.</p>
<p dir="ltr">His other work was included in the film <em>1492: Conquest of Paradise</em> (1992), <em>Missing</em> (1982), <em>Antarctica</em> (1983), <em>Bitter Moon</em> (1992) and <em>Alexander</em> (2004).</p>
<p dir="ltr">He also created music for the 2000 Sydney Olympics and 2021 FIFA World Cup in Japan.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>
