Classic Rant #435 (February 1, 2011): Another Death To Report

This seems to be a time for people that we kind of know, but don't know well, to go on to their final reward.

Film composer John Barry, who composed the music for hundreds of films, died on Sunday.

You say you know his name, but you can't connect him with anything?

Well, here is one piece of work of his that you certainly know:

Yes, he was the composer of the James Bond Theme, and he actually scored a dozen of the Bond movies.

He also wrote the scores for a multitude of other popular films, including for "Born Free," "Midnight Cowboy," "The Lion In Winter," and "Dances With Wolves." He won two Academy Awards for "Born Free," one for best score and one for best song. He also won Oscars for his scores for "The Lion In Winter," "Out of Africa," and "Dances With Wolves."

Barry scored an incredible amount of films. Including these award winners, he also did several stinkers, including the score for "Howard the Duck," a film I kind of liked that really, really tanked.

He also recorded a number of albums on his own, or with the John Barry Orchestra.

But he is forever known as the composer of the James Bond Theme, which will be used again and again and again, every time a new Bond movie comes out.

This guy was prolific, to say the least.

He passed away at his home on Long Island. I didn't even know he lived in my neck of the woods.

Incredibly, none of the actors who portrayed James Bond in the legitimate Bond movies (not the original "Casino Royale," for instance) have gone on to the great beyond. But when they do, I am sure Barry will be at the gate waiting for them.

And I'll bet he'll say, "Shaken, not stirred," as he hands them a drink as the Bond theme plays in the background.