Paris (AFP) - Prolific French composer Michel Legrand, who won three Oscars during a career spanning more than half a century, has died aged 86, his spokesman said Saturday.

Legrand first won an Academy Award in 1969 for the song "The Windmills of Your Mind" from the film "The Thomas Crown Affair".

He followed that with Oscars for his music for "Summer of '42" in 1972 and for "Yentl" in 1984.

He was also won five Grammys.

Legrand, who had been scheduled to stage concerts in Paris in April, died during the night, his spokesman told AFP.

He first began working as an accompanist and arranger in the 1960s.

During his long career, he worked with Miles Davies, Ray Charles, Orson Welles, Jean Cocteau, Frank Sinatra and Edith Piaf.

Legrand was also known for his scores for French New Wave director Jacques Demy for the films "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg" ("The Umbrellas of Cherbourg") in 1964 and "Les Demoiselles de Rochefort" ("The Young Ladies of Rochefort") in 1967, both of which received Academy Award nominations.