Krzysztof Penderecki, Poland's leading composer and conductor whose music became known worldwide through his work in Hollywood films such as The Shining and The Exorcist, has died.
He was 86. Penderecki died early Sunday at his home in Krakow in southern Poland after a long illness, his family said in a statement released by Ludwig van Beethoven Association, which was founded by his wife Elzbieta.
In a statement emailed to the Associated Press, the association said Penderecki had a “long and serious illness." The cause of his death is unknown, but was understood to not to be associated with the coronavirus; Penderecki tested negative for the virus after his carer was diagnosed with COVID-19.