Morricone calls off future concerts

Legendary cinema composer Ennio Morricone called off indefinitely any future tours and concerts on Monday due to a herniated disc. "He's been afflicted for some months," said his lawyer Giorgio Assumma. "It's making conducting and long-distance travel impossible". Made famous for writing unforgettable scores for Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Westerns in the 1960s and 70s, the 85-year-old will continue to compose music for cinema. His lawyer added that Morricone may be well enough for future concerts in his home city of Rome, "after his recovery, which is not expected to be swift". The maestro has scored more than 500 movies and TV films in a career spanning 50 years, which was crowned with a lifetime achievement Oscar in 2007. He has maintained an active international touring schedule, often performing crowd-pleasing numbers from Leone classics such as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, as well as newer works for films such as Django Unchained by Quentin Tarantino.