John Tavener, composer made famous by The Beatles, dies aged 69

British composer John Tavener, whose career was boosted with the help of The Beatles and who is often remembered for the mournful song performed as Princess Diana's coffin was carried out of Westminster Abbey, has died at the age of 69.

Tavener's publisher, Chester Music, said he died at his home in Child Okeford, southern England, on Tuesday.

Born and trained in London, Tavener composed the beautiful - reworked as - that caught the public's mood at Diana's funeral. His wistful, elegant setting of William Blake's poem (1982) became a staple of Christmas carol services.

"I think there are an awful lot of artists around who are very good at leading us into hell," Tavener once said. "I would rather someone would show me the way to paradise."

An imposing figure, Tavener was strikingly tall - 1.98 metres - thin, and wore his hair long. James Rushton, managing director of Chester Music, called Tavener "one of the unique and most inspired voices in music of the last 50 years".