James Bond Composer John Barry Dies at 77

By Moviefone Editors Posted Jan 31st 2011 10:55AM

Oscar-winning film composer John Barry, who scored some of the most memorable movies of all time including multiple James Bond films, died Sunday of a heart attack in New York, the AP has confirmed. He was 77.

The news first came from current Bond film composer David Arnold, who announced, via Twitter, "It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that John Barry passed away this morning."

Arnold went on to pay tribute to his predecessor: "I am profoundly saddened by the news but profoundly thankful for everything he did for music and for me personally."

Born in York, England, Barry won the first of his five Oscars in 1967, for Best Original Song and Best Score for 'Born Free.' He also went on to compose the score for the spinoff TV series. 'Born Free' star Virginia McKenna told the BBC that Barry was "a wonderful musician and composer."

Barry went on to win Academy Awards for his work on 'Out of Africa,' 'Dances With Wolves' and 'The Lion in Winter,' and he was nominated for 'Mary, Queen of Scots' and 'Chaplin.' He also won a Grammy for 'Dances With Wolves' and a Golden Globe for 'Out of Africa.'

Barry is best known for his iconic work on the James Bond movie franchise. He composed the soundtracks for 11 Bond films, including 'Goldfinger,' 'Diamonds are Forever' and 'A View to a Kill,' and his 'Bond' compositions were introduced to younger audiences via cover versions by The Propellerheads and Robbie Williams.

Although Barry is most famous for his movie compositions, he also wrote the themes for several TV series in the 1960s and '70s. He was twice nominated for Emmy Awards, for the TV special 'Elizabeth Taylor in London' and for 'Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years.' He also wrote the themes for U.K. hit show 'Juke Box Jury' and the Tony Curtis-Roger Moore spy adventure series, 'The Persuaders.'

John Barry Conducts Orchestra Through His 'Goldfinger' Score