British composer Sir Richard Rodney Bennett dies, aged 76

Tributes have been paid to Bafta-winning composer Sir Richard Rodney Bennett who died on Christmas Eve aged 76.

Tributes have been paid to Bafta-winning composer Sir Richard Rodney Bennett who died on Christmas Eve aged 76.

Best-known for his TV and film scores, including Doctor Who, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Murder on the Orient Express, he also produced more than 200 concert works.

The British musician, who also performed as a jazz pianist and singer, died in New York where he had lived since 1979.

He was knighted for services to music in 1998.

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His publisher, Gill Graham, told the Guardian: “He was, I think, the last of his kind. He wrote 32-bar jazz standards, the most complex serial music, and everything in between.”

Chris Butler, head of publishing for the group, said: “Richard was the most complete musician of his generation – lavishly gifted as a composer, performer and entertainer in a multiplicity of styles and genres. ”

He began composing as a child and studied at the Royal Academy of Music before moving to Paris to study with French composer Pierre Boulez. – (PA)