Romanian piano legend Radu Lupu dies aged 76

Radu Lupu, widely regarded as one of the world´s greatest pianists, has died at the age of 76, the organisers of the George Enescu Festival in Bucharest announced.

"We are deeply saddened to find out about the death of Maestro Radu Lupu, a dear friend of the Enescu Festival and a magnificent musician!" the festival wrote on its Facebook page.

According to media reports, Lupu died in Lausanne in Switzerland after a long illness.

Lupu won the George Enescu International Piano Competition in 1967, nine years after the prestigious festival was set up in honour of Romanian composer George Enescu.

"We will forever cherish his amazing way to transform music into magic. Words are not enough to express our sadness for this loss of the entire music world," the festival said.

Lupu was born on November 30, 1945, in Galati, Romania, and began playing the piano at the age of six.