Vangelis, the Greek composer and musician best known for his electronic theme song for the Oscar-winning Chariots of Fire, has died at the age of 79.
Vangelis – born Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou – was a largely self-taught musician and a member of Greek rock bands The Forminx and Aphrodite’s Child.
After both bands split, Vangelis began focusing on scoring film and TV, and won an Oscar for his 1981 Chariots of Fire soundtrack, which became synonymous with slow-motion sporting montages and the Olympics.
His work on Ridley Scott’s sci-fi cult classic Blade Runner was equally celebrated, landing BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations.
Vangelis went on to bring huge drama to various other film soundtracks later in the decade and in the ’90s.
So, in honour of the great composer, RadioTimes.com has compiled a list of some of the best scores from the Academy Award winner.