The Last Ninja – a Ben Daglish classic

One of the 8-bit computing scene’s most talented musicians has sadly passed away, leaving a legacy that includes The Last Ninja and Trap.

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The retro gaming scene has lost one of its most celebrated figures, with news that British composer Ben Daglish has died at the age of just 52.

Daglish worked on various 8 and 16-bit computer formats, including the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and Commodore Amiga.

His best known work was for the Commodore 64 game The Last Ninja, which he created in conjunction with Anthony Lees, but he also worked on many other classic soundtracks, including Trap, 720°, Switchblade, Deflektor, Death Witch 3, MASK III: Venom Strikes Back, and The Vikings.




No matter the quality of the games themselves, Daglish’s music was often a highlight and gamers at the time would often play them just to listen to the soundtrack.

Daglish was also notable for embracing the modern chiptune fan community, many of whom discovered his music without ever having played the games they were originally from. He would also often attend fan events and play his music live for fans.

Daglish’s wife Sarah confirmed the news via Facebook and issued the following short statement:

‘For those of you who don’t already know I’m deeply sorry to pass on the news that Ben died very suddenly on Monday morning. We know that it will come as a shock to many of you as it has to us. We are all at home feeling loved and supported, and our thoughts are with all of you who knew, loved, got irritated by and were lucky enough to have a little bit of his magic in your lives.’

I've just heard the terrible news that legendary composer Ben Daglish has died at the age of 52.

A pioneer of Commodore 64 music, Ben was famous for his soundtracks to such games as The Last Ninja (with Anthony Lees), Trap, and Deflektor.

My thoughts are with his friends & family pic.twitter.com/T8cikTChVN — Lord Arse! ?️ (@Lord_Arse) October 3, 2018

Really devastating to share the news that the brilliant and charismatic Ben Daglish sadly lost his on going battle on Monday. Not only was he a very warm, friendly and genuine guy, he was a hugely talented VGM composer. Condolences to his wife Sarah and his children. RIP Ben. pic.twitter.com/GPxb23Bdkc — Matt Gray (@mattgrayc64) October 3, 2018

The world needs more like Ben Daglish, not less… pic.twitter.com/xi1KQIXr8X — Commodore64audio (@C64Audio) October 3, 2018

Very sad to hear that Ben Daglish, #c64 musical legend (The Last Ninja, Cobra, Return of the Mutant Camels) and flautist extraordinaire of revival band "Stuck in the 80s" has passed away :( https://t.co/ccmxjvlImv — K8-bit (@WhatKateDoes) October 3, 2018

We have just heard the sad news that game music legend Ben Daglish has passed away. He was not only one of our favourite musicians, but a lovely guy who travelled 30 miles in snow to sit in with us in our early days of the podcast.

RIP Ben – thanks for all the music and memories. pic.twitter.com/OQffrgRHX4 — The Retro Hour (@retrohouruk) October 3, 2018

Well fuck. RIP Ben Daglish. Amazing talent and an absolutely lovely bloke with it. Fuck. :( — Jeff Minter (@llamasoft_ox) October 3, 2018

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