Jean-Pierre Rampal, unequivocally

the most renowned classical flutist of the 20th century, died in Paris

on Saturday (May 20) of heart failure at the age of 78.

"His flute ... spoke to the heart. A light in the musical world has

just flickered out," French President Jacques Chirac said in a statement.

Rampal, whose technically masterful and texturally rich playing helped

revive interest in the flute as a solo instrument, was beloved by music

aficionados and professional colleagues the world over for his virtuosity,

emotional warmth and joie de vivre.

"Working with him was pure pleasure, sheer joy, exuberance," violinist

Isaac Stern told The Associated

Press. "He was one of the great musicians of our time."

While best known for his interpretations of Baroque masterworks by

such composers as Bach, the soloist,

who also was a conductor and teacher, had an extremely diverse musical

palette, performing everything from jazz to English folk songs with

passion, style and grace.

He was born on January 7, 1922, in the southern French port city of

Marseille. Although his father was a flutist, the young Rampal was not

initially encouraged to become a professional musician, his parents

instead preferring that their son become a doctor.

It was during World War II, after Nazi-occupying forces in France

drafted him for labor in Germany, that Rampal first became serious

about music.

Dropping out of medical school, he went underground in Paris, studying

at the National Conservatory and winning the school's prestigious music

competition after only five months.

Following the war, he toured Europe as a soloist, chamber musician and

orchestra member, and then returned to France to take a position

as the principal flutist in the Paris Opera's

orchestra.

Over the course of his 50-year career, Rampal made recital tours all

over the world and worked with some of the greatest classical musicians

of the past century, including violinists Stern and Itzhak

Perlman and cellist Mstislav

Rostropovich.

Rampal's record label, Sony, described the flutist as perhaps the world's

most-recorded classical musician.

He is survived by his wife, two children and five grandchildren. A

funeral is scheduled for Wednesday in Paris.