We were informed that Anthony passed away as a result of an traffic incident in August 2016.
ANTHONY LEES OBITUARY – by Andrew Fisher
Music was always an important part of Anthony’s life. He learned how to play the clarinet when he was young and later played the alto sax and bassoon, and he would work with a choir for many years – conducting existing works and writing new music for them to perform. It was in the mid-1980s that he switched to a new instrument, the Commodore 64 computer. He wrote his own music player routine and entered a competition to compose music for a game known as Mindsmear. This would actually turn out to be an April Fool’s gag by ZZAP! 64 magazine as the game did not exist, but Anthony’s winning music drew the attention of System 3 owner Mark Cale. Anthony was chosen to work alongside established composer Ben Daglish to create the twelve tunes needed for System 3’s epic new game, The Last Ninja. Splitting the work between them, Anthony composed six memorable pieces. His personal favourite was the jungle sounds of The Wilderness loader tune, drawing inspiration from Apocalypse Now. The spooky and unusual sounds of The Dungeon music really suited that section of the game, adding to the atmosphere.
Anthony would write new music for the planned sequel Last Ninja 2, but it was rejected for not fitting the style of the game. He joined up with developers Tarann and created the music and sound effects for Incredible Shrinking Sphere, including another memorable tune that played out on the title screen. He would go on to write music for budget games on the Firebird label, and tried to move on to the 16-bit Amiga and Atari ST computers – but much of his work would go unpublished.
As his music career was starting to take off, Anthony’s father passed away and it affected him deeply. He changed course and joined the ranks of the Civil Service, with music becoming a hobby rather than his day job. But his Commodore 64 music lives on – thanks to many remixes and covers for people to enjoy. Some of his Last Ninja tunes were performed live by rock band Fastloaders in their recent gigs. Being part of a massive bestseller such as The Last Ninja was a high point in Anthony’s life, touching thousands of people and creating lasting memories.
– Andrew Fisher , posted on 21/06/2018
Anthony Lees did music for the following C64 Games:
The Last Ninja – 1987 System 3 (together with Ben Daglish)
Captain America in:The Doom Tube 1987 Tarann/GO!
Dream Warrior – 1988 Tarann/US Gold
Incredible Shrinking Sphere – 1989 Electric Dreams
Neuron
Rainbow Dragon – 1987 Firebird
Reflex Arc
Street Warriors – 1988 Silverbird
Synapse
Anthony Lees Sid Tunes captured from YT
Rest in Peace Anthony
When Ben died it affected me quite a lot even though I didnt know him presonally. I only leared of Anthonys Passong after. Its such a shame that these two great muscians are now gone. Love their music. Last Ninja will live on as the work of art it is.
LikeLike
Dear Amigian , dear frieds.. In a couple of weeks I am getting 79 years old.. All the best to all myy friends Petro Tyscchtschenko
LikeLike
Correct position. The game the last ninja part 1 and 2 are awesome, but it was only through the music that they got their full perfection.
LikeLike
I honestly didn’t know him. I just heard it in one of the comments on youtube when I heard the soundtrack for the last ninja again, that he had died. The last ninja and the soundtrack are still one of my best childhood memories. without this sound this game would have no soul. really a shame that such a great composer died. rip
According to Google, a composer named Ben Daglish was also involved in the soundtrack.
And damn it, he also passed away recently, in october 2018. rip
today is a sad day.
These guys are legends.
LikeLike
We all get older.. but to pass away through an acident is realy a bad destiny. I am 75 years old now and hope to be still with AMIGA and Commodore history…
Best regards Petro Tyschtschenk former President AMIGA
LikeLike
Thanks for your touchy comment Petro , wish you happy and long life my friend. all the best back
LikeLike