You may not even know who he was, but his music has probably lived in your head from the first day you heard it. The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that legendary film composer, John Barry, has died as a result of a heart attack. Hailing from Yorkshire, England, the 77-year-old won five Oscars for movies like Born Free and Dances With Wolves, but he is most famous for his contributions to a series of films about a certain British spy.
From 1962 to 1987, Barry contributed to 12 James Bond films including Goldfinger, You Only Live Twice, and Diamonds Are Forever, and while his contribution to the latter was famously sampled on Kanye West’s Grammy-winning “Diamonds from Sierra Leone”, Barry was always most humbled by accolades bestowed upon him by his countrymen.
“To receive this from my home is extraordinarily special, you don’t know how special it is,” he said after being given the 2001 Ivor Novello academy fellowship award in 2001, “It’s being home and being embraced by everyone here.” Check out the original “Diamonds Are Forever” below.