Vangelis—the composer who scored Blade Runner, Chariots of Fire, and many other films—has died, Reuters reports, citing the Athens News Agency. A cause of death was not revealed. According to The Associated Press, the musician died at a French hospital. Vangelis was 79 years old.
Born Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou, Vangelis was largely a self-taught musician. He found success in Greek rock bands such as the Forminx and Aphrodite’s Child—the latter of which sold over 2 million copies before disbanding in 1972. One of his earliest film scores, written while he was still in Aphrodite’s Child, was for a French nature documentary called L’Apocalypse des animaux.
An innovator in electronic music, Vangelis is arguably best known for his work on Chariots of Fire and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. It was noted by many upon the release of the Harrison Ford–starring film that Vangelis’ score was as important a component as Ford’s character Rick Deckard in bringing the futuristic noir film to life. Years on, it’s considered by many to be a hallmark in the chronology of electronic music.
Vangelis’ work on Chariots of Fire earned him the 1981 Academy Award for Best Original Score. The soundtrack album also reached the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart in April 1982. The film’s opening theme—called “Titles” on the soundtrack album—topped the Billboard Hot 100 the following month. The theme has featured often at the Olympic Games.
In 1973, Vangelis started his solo career with his debut album Fais que ton rêve soit plus long que la nuit (Make Your Dream Last Longer Than the Night). During the ’70s, he was widely rumored to join the prog-rock band Yes, following the departure of keyboardist Rick Wakeman. After rehearsing with them for months, Vangelis declined to join the group. He and Yes lead vocalist Jon Anderson reunited later in the ’80s, and they went on to release several albums together as Jon & Vangelis.
Vangelis released his final studio album, Juno to Jupiter, in September 2021 via Decca. The record was inspired by the mission of NASA’s Juno spacecraft and featured soprano Angela Gheorghiu.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greece’s prime minister, eulogized Vangelis on Twitter. “Vangelis Papathanassíou is no longer with us. For the whole world, the sad news states that the world music firm has lost the international Vangelis. The protagonist of electronic sound, the Oscars, the Myth and the great hits,” he wrote, according to the site’s translation. “For us Greeks, however, knowing that his second name was Odysseus, means that he began his long journey in the Roads of Fire. From there he will always send us his notes.”
Nikos Dendias, the foreign minister of Greece, also tweeted, “Vangelis Papathanassíou was a great Greek composer who excelled at a global level. We say goodbye with a big ‘thank you’ for what he offered to Music, Culture and Greece.”
