Bond composer John Barry dies

Bond composer Barry dies at 77

John Barry will be best remembered for his work on James Bond

James Bond composer John Barry has died aged 77, his family said.

Barry, originally from York, wrote scores for films including The Ipcress File, Zulu and Midnight Cowboy but is best known for his long association with 007.

A statement released by his family said: “It is with great sadness that the family of composer John Barry announce his passing on the 30^th of January 2011 in New York.

“Mr Barry is survived by his wife of 33 years, Laurie, and his four children and five grandchildren. Funeral arrangements will be strictly private and a memorial service will be held later this year in the UK.”

Barry’s arrangement of Monty Norman’s James Bond theme made his name and he wrote songs for many of the films. He won five Oscars and was nominated another two times – but never for his work on Bond.

Fellow composer David Arnold, who took over Bond music duties from Barry, said he had “a heavy heart”. He told fans on Twitter: “I am profoundly saddened by the news but profoundly thankful for everything he did for music and for me personally.”

Lyricist Don Black, who co-wrote songs including Born Free and Diamonds Are Forever with Barry, said: “The thing about John that I will always remember was he never changed. He was very much the Yorkshireman whether he was in Beverly Hills or Manhattan.

“When he played you a melody it was like an unveiling. You didn’t question it because you knew he had been up all night working on it and getting it right.”