The acclaimed British classical guitarist and lute player Julian Bream has died at the age of 87.
The virtuoso musician, who passed away at his home in Wiltshire, won four Grammy Awards and received 20 nominations between 1960 and 1985.
The musician's representatives, James Brown Management, confirmed the news in a statement on their website.
We are very sad to report that Julian Bream CBE (b. 1933), English classical guitarist and lutenist, died peacefully at home today, 14 August 2020.https://t.co/TV8nP4TNvM Photo credit: Eamonn McCabe #julianbream #classicalguitar pic.twitter.com/Hcu2724G7V
— James Brown Management (@JB_Management) August 14, 2020
It said: "We are very sad to report that Julian Bream CBE (b. 1933), English classical guitarist and lutenist, died peacefully at home today, 14 August 2020."
Bream, was a self-taught musician, who learned to play to lute by listening to dance bands on radio when he was in his teens. He gave his first public performance in 1947 at the age of 14.
He was a child prodigy, and the Royal Academy of Music called him "one of the most remarkable artists of the post-war era".
Bream studied piano and composition at the Royal College of Music, and went on to become among the most prolific and best-selling recording artists in classical music.
His contemporaries and admirers have been paying tribute to the late guitarist, with German classical guitarist Heike Matthiesen calling Bream, "My idol, my lifelong inspiration as musician and artist", while Helen Sanderson, director of National Youth Guitar Ensemble, said Bream was "my hero forever".
Speaking about his career to The Guardian in 2013, he said: "I devoted my life to music for a reason, and the reason wasn't because I wanted to get on or make money, but to try to fulfil myself and also to give people pleasure. That's been my credo."
