OYSTER BAY, N.Y., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- John Barry, the English composer best known for providing the film scores to the James Bond films died at his Oyster Bay, N.Y., home, his family said.
He was 77 when he succumbed to a heart attack Sunday, The Guardian reported.
During Barry's 50-year career, he won an OBE, five Oscars and created the music to more than 100 films, including "Dances With Wolves" and "Out Of Africa" which he identified as his favorite.
Barry was born John Barry Prendergast in York, England, in 1933. He cultivated an ear for music watching films at his father's chain of movie theatres. He later studied music and in the 1950s formed a band which later backed English singer Adam Faith.
He landed several chart hits with television themes and then branched out into the Bond scores. In the 1970s, his style became more choral on films such as "Walkabout" and "Mary Queen of Scots."
In 1975, he moved to the U.S. where he scored "King Kong," "Robin and Marian" and "The Deep."
John Barry is survived by his wife Laurie, four children and five grandchildren, The Guardian said.
