John Barry Passes Away at 77

Composer John Barry, who won five Oscars for his film work but was best known for his contributions to a dozen James Bond movies, passed away Sunday in New York at the age of  77.

The English-born composer won two Oscars, for the score and the song, for Born Free in 1966, and he earned single statuettes for The Lion in Winter (1968), Out of Africa (1985) and Dances with Wolves (1990). He was also nominated for his scores for Mary, Queen of Scots in 1971 and Chaplin in 1992.

His association with the James Bond franchise began with Dr. No in 1962. He wrote music for a dozen Bond films in all, including Goldfinger, From Russia with Love, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Diamonds are Forever, The Man with the Golden Gun, Moonraker, Octopussy, A View to a Kill and The Living Daylights.

He is survived by his wife Laurie, four children and five grandchildren.