'Grandaddy of techno' Pierre Henry dies at 89

Paris : French electronic composer Pierre Henry -- whose music inspired the theme tune of the American animated television series "Futurama" -- has died at the age of 89, his assistant said Thursday.

Known as the "grandfather of techno", Henry's "Psyche Rock" riff was used in the Oscar-winning Costa-Gavras film "Z" (1969) and later remixed by British DJ Fatboy Slim for the 2004 Lindsay Lohan film "Mean Girls".

French electronic music star Jean-Michel Jarre led the tributes to Henry, who he said had opened the way for his own music.

"He wasn't just a musician and an innovator, he was a poet. All his life he tried to bring about a fusion between experimentation and poetry," Jarre told AFP.

"He leaves behind an enormous and impressive body of work, and I hope France grants him the homage that he deserves."

Henry's assistant Isabelle Warnier said the composer "died during the night. He would have celebrated his 90th birthday in December."

France's National Orchestra said it would dedicate its performance Thursday to his memory and the Pilharmonie de Paris concert hall announced it would give over a whole night to celebrating Henry's work in October. 

"Psyche Rock" will be also played at a huge free ball in the centre of the French capital next week during the country's Bastille Day celebrations.

Never one to be unduly hamstrung by modesty, Henry liked to call himself "the father of modern music".

A pioneer of early electronic music made with all sorts of recorded sounds known as "concrete music", he studied at the Paris Conservatoire under one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, Olivier Messiaen.