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

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, who won a 2005 Oscar for the movie “Finding Neverland,” has died at age 71. Kaczmarek’s death was announced by Poland’s Music Foundation. Kaczmarek had suffered from MSA, a rare degenerative neurological disorder. He authored music for movies made in Europe and Hollywood, like the 1995 “Total Eclipse” with Leonardo DiCaprio. 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. Born in Poland in 1953, Kaczmarek studied law, but a brief association with the avant-garde theater of Jerzy Grotowski set him on the musical career.