British composer George Fenton, who wrote music for Groundhog Day, dies at 76
In short
British composer George Fenton, who wrote the music for the film “Groundhog Day”, has died at the age of 76, RBC and TASS reported. Kommersant said the BBC reported the death citing a statement from his family and that the cause was not disclosed. Fenton also wrote scores for “Gandhi”, “Dangerous Liaisons” and BBC nature series including “The Blue Planet”.
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British composer George Fenton, who wrote the music for the film “Groundhog Day”, has died at the age of 76, RBC and TASS reported. Kommersant reported the death citing the BBC, which it said referred to a statement from Fenton’s family. Kommersant added that the cause of death was not specified. RIA Novosti reported the death of the composer of the film’s music without naming him. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Fenton was best known in the reports for his “Groundhog Day” score. Kommersant listed other film work including “Gandhi”, “Dangerous Liaisons”, “Cry Freedom”, “The King and I” and “The Remains of the Day”, as well as soundtracks for BBC nature series, among them David Attenborough’s trilogy “The Blue Planet”, “Planet Earth” and “Frozen Planet”, and idents for BBC News programmes. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Kommersant said Fenton had signed a new publishing contract three weeks before his death and was working on two new soundtracks for films and musicals. The report said he was born in 1949 to a mechanical engineer and a nurse who had been a dancer before the war; both parents played musical instruments. He began electric guitar lessons at the age of seven and cited the Beatles as a major influence on his work, according to Kommersant. [ 4 ]
Kommersant reported that Fenton won several awards over his career, including BAFTA, Golden Globe, Emmy, BMI Awards and Classic Brit Awards, and was nominated for an Oscar five times. The reports did not state the date or place of his death. [ 4 ]
Why it matters
Fenton’s “Groundhog Day” score made him familiar to a wide Russian film audience, and his BBC nature soundtracks reached viewers worldwide. The reports are obituary notices and give no indication of consequences beyond the loss of a working composer who, Kommersant said, had recently signed a new publishing deal.
Key facts
- British composer George Fenton has died at the age of 76, RBC, TASS and Kommersant reported. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- He wrote the music for the film “Groundhog Day”. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Kommersant said the BBC reported the death citing a statement from Fenton’s family, and that the cause of death was not specified. [ 4 ]
- His other scores include “Gandhi”, “Dangerous Liaisons”, “Cry Freedom”, “The King and I” and “The Remains of the Day”. [ 4 ]
- He wrote soundtracks for BBC nature series, including David Attenborough’s trilogy “The Blue Planet”, “Planet Earth” and “Frozen Planet”, and idents for BBC News programmes. [ 4 ]
- Kommersant said he signed a new publishing contract three weeks before his death and was working on two new soundtracks for films and musicals. [ 4 ]
- He won BAFTA, Golden Globe, Emmy, BMI Awards and Classic Brit Awards, and was nominated for an Oscar five times. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The cause of death was not stated. Kommersant says the cause was not specified; RIA Novosti, RBC and TASS do not mention a cause.
- The date and place of death were not stated. The reports give the publication date but not the date or place of death.
- Whether the family confirmed the death is reported by only one outlet. Kommersant attributes this to the BBC citing a family statement; no other document mentions family confirmation.
- Details of Fenton’s recent and planned work rest on a single source. Only Kommersant reports the new publishing contract and the two soundtracks in progress, without naming the projects.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- RIA Novosti reported the death of the composer of the music for “Groundhog Day”. [ 1 ]
- RBC reported that British composer George Fenton had died at 76. [ 2 ]
- TASS reported the death of British composer George Fenton, aged 76, who wrote the music for “Groundhog Day”. [ 3 ]
- Kommersant reported the death, citing the BBC and a family statement, and detailed his career and awards. [ 4 ]