Oscar-winning composer of 'Finding Neverland' music, Jan A.P. Kaczmarek dies at age 71

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Polish composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, who won a 2005 Oscar for the musical score of "Finding Neverland," died on Tuesday. He was 71.

Kaczmarek’s death was announced by Poland’s Music Foundation which had been informed of his passing by the composer’s wife. Kaczmarek had suffered from MSA, a rare degenerative neurological disorder.

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He authored music for movies made in Europe and Hollywood, like the 1995 "Total Eclipse" with Leonardo DiCaprio, and the 2002 "Unfaithful" with Richard Gere and Diane Lane.

Jan. A.P. Kaczmarek poses with the Oscar for best original score for his work on "Finding Neverland" during the 77th Academy Awards, Feb. 27, 2005, in Los Angeles. Polish composer Kaczmarek, who won a 2005 Oscar for the movie "Finding Neverland," died on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at age 71. Kaczmarek’s death was announced by Poland’s Music Foundation.  (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)

Global fame came when he won the Oscar for Best Original Score in the biographic fantasy "Finding Neverland" inspired by the life of J.M. Barrie, with Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet.

Born in Poland in 1953, Kaczmarek wanted to be a diplomat and studied law, but a brief association with the avant-garde theater of Jerzy Grotowski set him on the musical career.

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In 1989, he settled in Los Angeles, but toward the end of his life lived in Krakow in southern Poland.

He is survived by his second wife Aleksandra Twardowska-Kaczmarek and five children.