Oscar-winning composer Vangelis Papathanassiou has passed away, according to an announcement by law office that represented him. The announcement said Papathanassiou, better known simply by his first name, Vangelis, died at hospital in France on Tuesday, where he was being treated for Covid-19.

Papathanassiou was 79.

His musical career spanned six decades, as a performer, producer and composer, with his most distinguished work being the soundtrack for the 1982 film “Chariots of Fire”. Other Hollywood projects included the iconic Blade Runner and 1492.

Leaving Greece in the late 1960s for Paris he joined and performed with the progressive rock band Aphrodite’s Child, where he teamed up with another notable Greek artist, Demis Roussos.

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