George Fenton, the composer behind the BBC Newsnight theme tune and the scores for Blue Planet and Planet Earth, has died unexpectedly at the age of 76. His family confirmed the news in a statement, saying: "We are very sad to announce that George Fenton passed away unexpectedly today."
He is survived by his wife Amanda, ex-wife Jane, children Gemma, Grace and Bridget, and grandchildren Lola, Audrey, Alfred, George, Frank and Beatrice. The statement added: "...and a life of music." No cause of death was given.
A life in music
Fenton had signed a new publishing deal three weeks before his death and had said he was working on two new film scores and a musical. Over his career, he composed music for more than 100 feature films, as well as documentaries, theatre and TV news.
He initially aspired to be a performer, landing a recurring role on Emmerdale Farm in the 1970s, but turned to composing after being commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company to write music for a production of Twelfth Night.
Oscar nominations and tributes
Fenton received five Oscar nominations. His first, shared with Ravi Shankar, was for the 1982 film Gandhi. He earned two more for Cry Freedom, for best original score and best original song, the latter shared with Jonas Gwangwa, which he sang at the Academy Awards.
He later described the performance: "It was like some bad waking dream. I was virtually rigid with fear trying to remember and not mispronounce the lyrics, which included the names of ANC leaders and important events in the struggle against apartheid, while singing live to an audience of over a billion people, without even a piano to hide behind."
BBC Newsnight posted a clip of Fenton discussing the theme tune on X, writing: "The composer George Fenton has died at the age of 76. His music included Blue Planet, Planet Earth and multiple movies - Baftas + Emmys and received five Oscar nominations."
Fans paid tribute online, with one writing: "Very sad news. Fenton moved between the concert hall and the news studio without losing craft in either." Another said: "What an absolutely amazing composer! So many familiar TV themes... What a sad loss."
