Vangelis, 3/29/43- 3/17/2022 :(

Synth pioneer best known for scoring “Chariots of Fire” (1981) and “Blade Runner (1982)

Vangelis’ theme for “Chariots of Fire” was a huge hit in 1981.

Of course, many film composing cognoscenti were both a little jealous and contemptuous. The idea that someone could just layer parts on a multitrack to come up with music, rather than writing out the score, was novel.

Anyone could do that, right? Rather than offending anyone, I’ll restrain myself from writing the insult that people twisted his name into.

But it was just a good tune, and it also happened to work perfectly with the slow-motion running in the film.

Then came Blade Runner the next year, showing it wasn’t just a fluke. And he seems to have remained active until the end, with album releases earlier this year.

The only information we have is a quote from various news reports: “We regret to announce that the world renowned composer Vangelis has passed away on Tuesday, May 17th, late at night.” – From his private office