Greek Composer Vangelis Passes Away at 79

On May 17, Greek composer Evangelos Papathanasiou, known as Vangelis, passed away at the age of 79, according to Kathimerini newspaper. The cause of death has not been disclosed. Earlier, as reported by Ta Nea, he had been hospitalized in France shortly before his death due to coronavirus.

“With great sadness, we announce that the great Greek Vangelis Papathanasiou left us on Tuesday evening, May 17,” confirmed the law office representing Vangelis's interests.

Vangelis was born on March 29, 1943, in Volos, Greece. He was a pioneer of contemporary electronic music and one of the founders of the Greek group Aphrodite's Child. He collaborated with the British band Yes and their vocalist Jon Anderson. In addition to several dozen solo albums, Vangelis recorded soundtracks for numerous feature films, including 'Chariots of Fire' (1981, directed by Hugh Hudson) and 'Blade Runner' (1982, directed by Ridley Scott).