Actor, singer, and symphonic metal artist, Sir Christopher Lee, has passed away. He was 93 years old, but remained active in his art – his acting and his singing – to the end.
Many know Christopher Lee for his unparalleled theatrical performances and voice acting skills. Jason and I, however, also know him as an incredible operatic vocalist, both narrating story lines and singing epic melodies.
His award winning concept album, which released in 2010, is titled, Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross, and tells the story of the First Holy Roman Emperor, King Charlemagne. A heavy metal follow-up album, titled Charlemagne: The Omens of Death, was released in 2013. Lyrically and musically, Lee’s music is very dramatic, and his deep rich voice provides an impressively theatrical power.
Deliciously corny and over-the-top, Sir Lee’s heavy metal Christmas carols are meant to be taken humorously. With a wry smile, Lee himself described them as “quite bad,” and all his music videos, Christmas or otherwise, are quaintly cheesy.
As a guest vocalist, Sir Lee performed on albums and music videos with well known Italian symphonic power metal band, Rhapsody:
Sir Lee explained his love for music, and his family’s musical heritage, in a video interview published on May 22, 2014.
Sir Lee has also performed as a vocal actor for a multitude of audio books, including several books by Agatha Christie (one of my very favorite authors) which I am eager to listen to.
London’s Associated Press reports, Christopher Lee, an actor who brought dramatic gravitas and aristocratic bearing to screen villains from Dracula to James Bond enemy Scaramanga, has died at age 93. Lee appeared in more than 250 movies, including memorable roles as the wicked wizard Saruman in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and the evil Count Dooku in two of George Lucas’ “Star Wars” prequels. But for many he will forever be known as the vampire Count Dracula in a slew of “Hammer Horror” movies — the gory, gothic thrillers churned out by the British studio in the 1950s and 1960s that became hugely popular. Lee married Birgit Kroencke in 1961. Their daughter, Christina, was born in 1963.
