vangelis
Vangelis, Chariots of Fire, Blade Runner Composer, Dies at 79
Influential Greek composer and electronic music pioneer Vangelis died May 17 in a French hospital due to complications from COVID-19, according to Greek media reports. He was 79. Vangelis won the Academy Award for best original score for his work on 1981’s Chariots of Fire, the theme song from which was a rare instrumental to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Vangelis is also revered for his score to 1982’s Blade Runner, and his music was prominently featured in Carl Sagan’s iconic 1980 documentary Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. Beyond his film work, he released more than 20 studio albums that profoundly influenced the direction of electronic music in the 1970s and ’80s, as well as a number of projects with Yes vocalist Jon Anderson. “Nobody believed the film would be so successful,” he told...
