Vangelis Dead: Oscar-Winning Blade Runner Composer Gone at 79

Say the phrase "science fiction" and you will see an image in your mind. Maybe it is of space. Maybe it is high-tech machinery. Maybe it is a strange looking creature. For many of us, that image has a sound as well, and that sound was written by a composer named Vangelis, who died this week at the age of 79.

Papathanass, also known as Vangelis, was a musician and composer who created the unforgettable, ethereal, and utterly magical synthesizer music for Ridley Scott's 1982 movie. That sound, beautiful and soothing, but with an electronic edge, came to define science fiction for many fans. Vangelis's score for Blade Runner is different from the more wave-y, string-y, weird music of the 1950s or the 1970s. There is a distinct, sci-fi, metal feel to it, but also it could be as soft as a horn section. It captured the essence of the stories that were written by Philip K Dick and others.

His second most famous work is the score for Blade Runner, which sci-fi fans hold most dear. Vangelis won the Oscar for Best Original Score for his work on Chariots of Fire, a sports drama that also won Best Picture. You can listen if you aren't already humming it. The score was a commercial success, which is a rare feat for a film score today. It is one of the best and most recognizable pieces of music of all time.

The two years of work from Vangelis are only about 80 years old. He grew up in Greece, learned to play music, joined several bands, traveled the world, and eventually became one of the world's foremost and in-demand composers, working not just in film, but for the stage as well. Variety said that it was an incredible life that ended in a French hospital while being treated for covid-19, a sad end to a tale that will live in our hearts, minds, and ears.

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