The French-born composer, Maurice Jarre, who was 84, died in his sleep Saturday at his home in Malibu. According to various news organizations, Jarre had cancer.

Jarre was born on September 13, 1924. He studied at the University of Lyon and at Sorbonne to become an engineer, but he switched to music and enrolled in the Conservatoire de Paris.

Maurice Jarre won the Oscars for the music in “Lawrence of Arabia”, “Doctor Zhivago” and “A Passage to India.”