The world feels empty today. I feel an indescribable void at the unfillable loss of a demi-God, a protector, a beacon of light and hope. Mikis Theodorakis was a beautiful man and a musical genius of incomprehensible wisdom. Mikis lyricised man’s quest for freedom. Yet he experienced life through the eyes of a child. One could observe his eyes light up at the simple beauty of life. He was a living legend but he was also my friend.

When I was in Mikis’ presence, it was undeniable that I was sharing space with a legend. His height, his smile, his voice; all equally grandiose. Everything he said seemed profound, wise and balanced. Yet he delivered it mellifluously and with an intense harmony. I will forever be in awe at the fact that when he spoke to me, he would call me by my name, be entirely engrossed in what I was saying and be fully present.

He had an ability to make every person feel significant and in his eyes each human was of equal measure. He had mixed with eponymous greats like Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, Olivier Messiaen, Yiannis Ritsos, endless presidents, kings, queens and billionaires but he made everyone he met feel special and heard. When he met Joanna Kordos the preeminent Australian artist I had commission to paint a portrait for Mikis as a gift, he said, “You; you painted that masterpiece that encapsulates everything I am!” She said he made her feel something she had never felt before.