Mikis Theodorakis to be buried in Crete, three day national mourning announced

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a three-day national mourning for the death of the great composer Mikis Theodorakis.

The composer's last wish was to be buried in his ancestral homeland of Galatas, west of the Cretan city of Chania, something which will be fulfilled.

The veteran composer, who was instrumental in raising global awareness of Greece’s plight during the 1967-74 military dictatorship, died at the age of 96 on Thursday.

His work ranges from rousing songs based on major Greek poetic works, many of which remain left-wing anthems for decades, to symphonies and film scores.

He composed perhaps the most recognizable Greek music internationally, the syrtaki from the film “Zorba the Greek” (1964).

His songs were performed by famous artists, such as The Beatles, Shirley Bassey and Edith Piaf.

He composed the scores in films such as “Z” (1969), which won the BAFTA Prize for original music, “Phaedra” (1962), which included songs with lyrics by Nikos Gatsos, and “Serpiko” (1973), for which he was nominated for a Grammy in 1975.

READ MORE: How Greece responded to the death of legendary composer Mikis Theodorakis.