Vangelis Papathanassiou, simply known as Vangelis, died. The Greek composer, author of “Blade Runner” and “Chariots of Fire” has died at the age of 79. This was announced by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “Vangelis Papathanassiou is no longer with us,” tweeted the premier. “The world of music has lost the international artist Vangelis,” he added in the tweet.
Vangelis, according to reports from his spokesmen, would have died in a hospital in France, where he was being treated. Born in 1943, Vangelis won an Oscar for his 1981 Chariots of Fire soundtrack, which became a worldwide hit, reaching number 1 on the US charts. He has also been successful with the Aphrodite’s Child group.
Mostly self-taught in music, Vangelis grew up in Athens and formed his first band in 1963, called Forminx, which was active for three years. He started writing music for others and two years later he moved to Paris, where he formed the prog rock quartet Aphrodite’s Child with Greek expats including Demis Roussos (the single Rain and Tears was a hit all over Europe). An experience that lasted shortly, which then brought Vangelis back to compose soundtracks for films and TV.
Moving to London, he reached a peak in the 1980s. His timeless hits include his soundtrack for Blade Runner, celebrated for its evocation of a sinister future version of Los Angeles and that of Missing directed by Costa-Gavras.
Later he worked on the soundtrack of The Bounty by Mel Gibson and Antony Hopkins and Francesco with Mickey Rourke as protagonist. And then Roman Polanski’s Bitter Moon and Jacques Cousteau’s documentaries. He has also signed the soundtrack of major events, including the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea and the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. He has written scores for ballets and music for theatrical productions.