LOS ANGELES – Jaime Mendoza-Nava (search), a Bolivian native who composed music for "The Mickey Mouse Club" (search) and hundreds of movies, has died. He was 79.
Mendoza-Nava died May 31 at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Woodland Hills of complications of diabetes, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Born in La Paz, Bolivia, Mendoza-Nava was a child prodigy who by age 11 had composed, performed and organized a children's orchestra. After studying in South America, he trained in piano and composing at New York's Juilliard School, and later at Madrid's Royal Conservatory of Music and elsewhere in Europe.
In 1951, still in his 20s, Mendoza-Nava was named director of Bolivia's National Symphony Orchestra.
The musician immigrated to Los Angeles in 1953 and soon went to work for Disney, where he composed music for 1950s television series including "The Mickey Mouse Club" and "Zorro" (search).
In 1961, he became music director for United Productions of America, where he worked on the theatrical cartoon series "Mr. Magoo," among others.
Mendoza-Nava went on to form his own company and score music for more than 200 movies, including sci-fi, horror and adventure films. Among his credits were "Ballad of a Gunfighter" in 1964, "A Boy and His Dog" in 1975, "The Vampire Hookers" in 1978 and "Terror in the Swamp" in 1985.
Mendoza-Nava is survived by his wife, four children and four grandchildren.
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