|
 Previn, who won numerous awards for his musical accomplishments,
was composing new music until only a few days before he passed
away, IMG Artists said in a statement. The circumstances of his
death were not immediately clear and the company could not be
reached for further comment.
The German-born musical prodigy who fled Nazi persecution with
his Jewish family in 1938 to Paris and then Los Angeles, Previn
made his name as a jazz musician and writing scores for movies.
By the end of his career, he had become one of the prominent
music figures in the second half of the 20th century.
Previn was a conductor of major orchestras in Europe and America
including the London Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, Houston
Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic and
others. He also composed numerous classical works including two
operas, "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Brief Encounter."
His hundreds of recordings led to a Grammy Lifetime Achievement
Award in 2010 and 10 other Grammys. Previn was knighted by
Britain's Queen Elizabeth in 1996. His personal life was
controversial, with five marriages, including one to actress Mia
Farrow.
When he arrived in Los Angeles, an uncle was providing music to
Universal Studios. Previn launched his film-score career by age
20 when the MGM studio asked him to write music to accompany a
famous collie in the 1949 movie "Challenge to Lassie."
He soon was the most successful music man in Hollywood. He won
Academy Awards for "Gigi" (1958), "Porgy and Bess" (1959), "Irma
La Douce" (1963) and "My Fair Lady" (1964). He also wrote an
admired score for the film "Elmer Gantry" (1960). "Gigi" and "My
Fair Lady" won Oscars as Best Picture.
Previn was seen as a young Hollywood hot shot, known for his
talent as well as escorting starlets. But at the height of his
success in the early 1960s, he changed his career focus from
films and jazz to classical music and conducting.
"I stuck around in Hollywood for too long," Previn told
Britain's Guardian in 2005.
"I was there a long time and when I left I was smart enough to
realize that what I was leaving was not just the movie
business," he said. "I wanted to get rid of the whole
atmosphere. I had a lot of friends and there were a lot of very
talented people that I liked - and I still like - but it's not
an atmosphere in which to make serious music, it just isn't."
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CAREER AS A CONDUCTOR
His goal was to conduct - he had studied with well-known conductor
Pierre Monteux - but found that his film work did not boost his
chances.
"In America, they would just as soon forgive you for an ax murder as
for having done a movie," Previn told the Guardian.
In 1968, he became chief conductor for the prestigious London
Symphony Orchestra, and became quite a celebrity in Britain. He kept
the post until 1979, an unusually long tenure.
He also was a virtuoso classical and jazz pianist and performed with
many big names. He also had success in musical theater and his
Broadway show "Coco" was nominated for a Tony Award as best musical
in 1970.
Previn was known for trying to popularize classical music,
organizing music festivals, and inspiring children about music.
He also generated headlines with his controversial personal life. He
was married five times. In 1969, while still married to his second
wife, Previn became involved with Mia Farrow, the former wife of
actor and singer Frank Sinatra and the future partner of movie
director Woody Allen.
Farrow and Previn married in 1970, after she had given birth to
twins and just weeks after his divorce came through. They divorced
in 1979. Soon-Yi Previn, an adopted daughter of Previn and Farrow,
later became Allen's wife.
Previn's fifth marriage in 2002 was to famed German violinist
Anne-Sophie Mutter, who was 24 years younger than him. They divorced
in 2006.
Andreas Ludwig Priwin was born in Berlin on April 6, 1929, but
changed his name in America. He became a U.S. citizen in 1943.
When asked how he would like to be remembered, Previn once said:
"I've heard a lot about conductors referred to as either brilliant
technicians or remarkable human beings, as masters of discipline, or
precision or whatever. I must say that I would like, if at all, to
be remembered as just a good musician."
(Reporting by Will Dunham; editing by Diane Craft)
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