Last Sunday the conductor and composer Lukas Foss died, 86 years old, from a heart attack in his home in New York City. He had also been suffering from Parkinson's disease.

Foss was also an accomplished pianist. According to his wife, he has been working until one and a half years ago.

Born in Berlin in 1922 as Lukas Fuchs, his family moved to Paris in 1933, where he studied piano and composition. In 1937 the family moved to the USA, where he changed his name to Foss.

[Source: www.nytimes.com]