Prince Charles's favourite composer John Tavener in fight for life

Prince Charles's favourite British composer and close friend Sir John Tavener was last night seriously ill in hospital following a heart attack.

The 63-year-old, who suffers from a rare genetic disorder, fell ill just weeks before the world premiere of his ambitious Requiem took place in Liverpool, as part of the city's European Capital of Culture celebrations.

Tavener, who survived a stroke when he was just 30, has Marfan Syndrome, an inherited condition that attacks the body's connective tissue.

He had a major heart operation in 1990 and surgery to remove a tumour from his jaw, saying at the time that he felt the experience had spurred him on to greater creativity.

A spokesman for Chester Music, which represents the composer, said: "In early December last year Sir John Tavener suffered a heart attack while in Zurich for the premiere of a new work.

"Following bypass surgery he was brought back to the UK, to a hospital in Southampton, in January. He is now in an intensive care unit in London.'

Tavener's work reached a mass audience ten years ago when his moving cello piece, Song For Athene, was played at Princess Diana's funeral.

He was also a friend of The Beatles --his first major work, a quasi-rock opera telling the story of Jonah and the whale, being a favourite of John Lennon.

More recently, the prolific composer received rave reviews for his Requiem, commissioned for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus and performed at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral two weeks ago.

Tavener had a Presbyterian upbringing but later joined the Greek Orthodox Church. His first marriage, to a Greek ballet dancer, lasted less than a year.

He married his second wife, Maryanna, in 1991 and they have two daughters and a son.