Michael Kamen dies
Composer's work with Pink Floyd started in the '70s

Composer/arranger Michael Kamen died suddenly of a heart attack in London. He was 55.

Kamen, who had dozens of major film scores to his credit, began working with Pink Floyd in 1979, when he handled orchestral arrangements on "The Wall." He went on to work on "The Wall" film (1982), "The Final Cut" (1983), and "The Division Bell" (1994).

He also worked on Roger Waters and David Gilmour solo projects: "About Face" (1984), "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking" (1984), "The Wall Live in Berlin" (1990), and "Amused to Death" (1992).

Kamen also hit the road with Floyd members, playing keyboards with Waters on his "Pros and Cons" tour, and with Floyd at the 1990 Knebworth festival.

Most recently, he was seen and heard playing piano with Gilmour in the "David Gilmour in Concert" DVD, culled from a handful of semi-acoustic performances in London in 2001 and '02.

Kamen was a native New Yorker and a Julliard School of Music graduate. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1996, but didn't go public with the news until a couple months ago. News reports were unclear as to whether or not MS contributed to Kamen's death.

Gilmour was one of a few major recording artists to perform at a memorial service held at The Royal Academy of Music. According to the official Kamen Web site, he played "Wish You Were Here."

(Posted: Nov. 19, 2003; Dec. 9, 2003)

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Updated: Jan. 17, 2005

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