Basil Poledouris

Basil Poledouris, who composed the Emmy-winning score for the 1989 television miniseries "Lonesome Dove" and the opening fanfare for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, died Wednesday. He was 61. Poledouris died of cancer at his Los Angeles home, according to Hanna Pantle, a spokeswoman for the performing rights organization BMI. In the 1980s and 1990s, his rousing orchestral scores added heft to a raft of thrillers, including "Starship Troopers" and "The Hunt for Red October" as well as romantic features such as "Les Miserables" and "The Blue Lagoon." In all, he composed for more than 80 movies and TV shows. Born in Kansas City, Mo., Poledouris grew up in Garden Grove. He took film scoring classes at USC from famed film composer Miklos Rozsa. He scored more than 100 educational films before breaking into features.