One-time Oscar nominee Louis Applebaum, one of Canada's most distinguished composers, died of cancer last week at the age of 82.

Applebaum was best-known for his long association with Ontario's Stratford Festival, where he was the first director and composed the fanfare that heralds each Festival Theater performance.

"Lou Applebaum was the dean of Canadian theater composers," said Richard Monette, artistic director of the Stratford Festival, which announced the death. "Not only was he a wonderful artist, he was a wonderful administrator, too, and he had a genuinely embracing, nonpartisan overview of the arts."

In his 43 seasons at Stratford, Applebaum composed and conducted music for more than 75 productions. He also composed the soundtracks for television programs and films, including "The Story of G.I. Joe" (which earned him an Academy Award nomination in 1947) and the 1961 3-D cult classic "The Mask."