The prolific and much admired film composer John Barry has died from a heart attack in New York after a 50 year career which included the production of some of cinema's most memorable tracks. The five time Oscar winner, described by his son in law Simon Jack as "as much a dramatist as a composer", brought strong narrative themes to his music which elevated the films on which he worked and won him fans throughout the industry.
Barry began working in film in the early Sixties, composing the soundtrack to cult favourite Beat Girl and the unforgettable Zulu. He was part of the James Bond team from the very beginning, working his magic for Dr. No, but it was Goldfinger, with its tremendous theme song performed by Shirley Bassey, which first brought him major public attention. He later composed the theme for Born Free, which became a hit and helped the film achieve unexpected popularity, and 1972 saw him create a memorable score for Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. Later hits included Dances With Wolves, Indecent Proposal and The Scarlet Letter, but he also found time for a lot of little movies, even bringing life to the shaky cardboard sets of Starcrash.
Always modest about his work, Barry was amazed to be awarded an OBE in 1999, commenting that he never thought he would live up to the achievements of his father, who received an MBE for his services in the Second World War. Richard Attenborough suggested that his greatness emerged from the fact that he was never fully satisfied with his own creations despite all the praise they received.
Barry loved New York, having been made a Freeman of the City in 2002, but retained strong connections with the UK, where a memorial service is expected to be held for him later this year. He is survived by his fourth wife, Laurie, four children and several grandchildren.
