*raises glass*
James Bond wouldn't sound the way he did without Barry, who contributed a few minutes of music to Dr. No then went on to score every other official 1960s Bond film and about half of the Bond films of the '70s and '80s. And alongside that work was much other work: such film scores as Midnight Cowboy, Born Free, The Lion In Winter, The Black Hole, Body Heat, and Dances With Wolves.
We almost lost Barry before: he lived through a medical crisis in the late Eighties (two words: ruptured esophagus) and was still recovering when he started writing the music for Dances With Wolves. Got a second wind, and from what I heard enjoyed his last couple of decades, including a well-earned retirement. Brad Bird almost got him to score The Incredibles, and in fact Michael Giacchino's theme owes much to Barry's theme for On Her Majesty's Secret Service:
(Link courtesy Bobby "Fatboy" Roberts.)
John Barry brought a warmth and a pop-influenced shape to much of his music. They had hooks I didn't mind getting stuck in my head. Thank you, Mr. Barry, for your music and your life.
Here is Film Score Monthly's tribute.