Oscar-winning composer Vangelis Papathanassiou dies in Paris at age 79
Internationally acclaimed Greek composer Vangelis Papathanassiou, known globally as Vangelis, has died in Paris, a law firm representing the artist has announced.
Vangelis was born near the city of Volos in Greece in 1943, and he started composing music at the age of 4, giving his first public performance at the age of 6. Vangelis began his music career as a self-taught artist, but he later studied classical music, painting and film directing at the Fine Arts Academy in Athens.
He formed his first group, 'Forminx', in 1960. After moving to Paris in 1968 he formed the group 'Aphrodite's Child' with another artist that was also destined to become an international star, Demis Roussos.
In 1975 Vangelis moved to London, where he set up the cutting-edge 'Nemo' studios, and a little later released his first music collection 'Heaven & Hell'.
Film soundtracks were a big part of Vangelis' prolific career, winning him an Oscars Academy Award in 1982 for Hugh Hudson's 'Chariots of Fire'. He also scored the soundtracks for Ridley Scott's 'Blade Runner' (1982), Roman Polanski's 'Bitter Moon' (1992), and Oliver Stone's 'Alexander' (2004), among many others.
Vangelis also composed music for NASA's space missions, in 2001 and again in 2013. He was awarded NASA's Exceptional Public Service Medal in 2003, and the title of Knight of the Order of Honor (Ordre National de la Légion d'honneur) of the French Republic in 2001.
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