Composer John Barry dies at 77

John Barry, the composer who is responsible for film scores for movies such as the James Bond series, Born Free and Out of Africa, has passed away at the age of 77.

The English composer, who died of a heart attack in New York, worked with the best in the industry and produced scores for 11 James Bond films including Goldfinger, From Russia With Love and You Only Live Twice.

His career spanned five decades in the movie industry during which he won a number of accolades including five Academy Awards, a Bafta Award and a Grammy Award.

Barry's music has been featured in blockbusters such as Out of Africa, which starred Robert Redford and Meryl Streep, and Dances with Wolves, the Oscar-winning movie starring Kevin Costner.

Tributes have been pouring through micro-blogging site Twitter, where celebrities including singer and actor Michael Crawford, comedienne Sue Perkins, David Schneider, Stephen Fry and Simon Pegg have left their comments.