SIR CHRISTOPHER LEE Dies Of Respiratory Problems And Heart Failure Aged 93
June 11th, 2015
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Sir Christopher Lee, an actor an actor with almost 300 film credits and best known for his appearances in Dracula (1958, Dracula), The Wicker Man (1973, Lord Summerisle), The Man With The Golden Gun (1974, Scaramanga) and The Lord Of The Rings trilogy (2001-3, Saruman), died on June 7th, 2015 at the age of 93. Lee had been hospitalised at Chelsea and Westminster hospital, following respiratory problems and heart failure.
Late in life, Lee earnt notoriety in the world of symphonic metal. Lee duetted on the single ‘The Magic Of The Wizards Dream’ with Fabio Lione, lead vocalist of Italian symphonic metal group Rhapsody Of Fire. That track emerged on 2004 effort Symphony Of Enchanted Lands II – The Dark Secret, Lee additionally portraying narrator The Wizard King on that record as well as the records Triumph Or Agony (2006), The Frozen Tears Of Angels (2010) and From Chaos To Eternity (2011), as well as the EP The Cold Embrace Of Fear – A Dark Romantic Symphony (2010).
Lee worked with American classic metal ensemble Manowar in a narrative role as well, lending his voice as narrator to the re-recorded version of ‘Dark Avenger’, the original role having been occupied by the late Orson Welles on 1982 debut Battle Hymns. The re-recorded version arrived in 2010, the entire opus having been re-recorded as Battle Hymns MMXI.
With London-based punk outfit Inner Terrestrials, in 2006 he recorded a metal variation of the composition ‘The Toreador Song’ from the 1875 opera Carmen, which appeared on the man’s 2006 platter Revelation.
2010 concept affair Charlemagne: By The Sword And The Cross told the story of First Holy Roman Emperer, King Charlemagne, whom Lee was ancestrally linked to. For that outing, Lee was awarded the Spirit Of Metal award at the 2010 Metal Hammer Golden Gods ceremony, being presented with the trophy by Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi. In 2012, a music video was filmed for the track ‘The Bloody Verdict Of Verden’. Successor Charlemagne: The Omens Of Death arrived in 2013, the music having been arranged by guitarist Richie Faulkner, who was to later join Judas Priest.
An EP of metal versions of Christmas tracks entitled A Heavy Metal Christmas arrived in 2012, its follow-up A Heavy Metal Christmas Too emerging a year later in 2013. Lee’s rendition of ‘Jingle Hell’ entered the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart at position 22, being the oldest musician to ever enter those respective charts. Following media attention, the track rose further to position 18.
2014 covers EP Metal Knight marked Lee’s 92nd birthday, collecting cover interpretations of ‘My Way’ (originally recorded by Frank Sinatra in 1969), the aforementioned ‘The Toreador Song’ (retitled ‘The Toreador March’), and the songs ‘The Impossible Dream’ and ‘I Don Quixote’ – both from the 1965 Don Quixote musical Man Of La Mancha.
The 2014 Christmas single ‘Darkest Carols, Faithful Sing’, his last musical outing, was a take on ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’.
