Harvey R. Cohen, 55; won Emmys for musical direction, composition

Harvey R. Cohen, 55, an Emmy-winning composer and orchestrator of Agoura Hills, died Sunday while en route to a hospital after experiencing a heart attack, said Ivan Rothberg, his attorney and friend. Cohen had suffered from heart problems for most of his life.

Cohen received Emmy Awards for his musical direction and composition work in two animated television shows from the 1990s: “The Adventures of Batman and Robin” and Disney’s “Aladdin.”

Cohen orchestrated music for films including “Mission: Impossible III” (2006), Adam Sandler’s “Eight Crazy Nights” (2002), “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut” (1999) and “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” (1993).

Cohen, who played the piano and several wind instruments, also arranged music for recording artists such as Kenny G and the Irish Tenors.

A native of Brookline, Mass., Cohen studied music at the University of Hartford in Connecticut and did graduate work at Brooklyn College in New York.

In the early 1990s, Cohen put together the Hollywood All-Star Big Band, an 18-piece group that regularly performed at the Moonlight Tango Cafe in Sherman Oaks.