MOSCOW, October 14 (RIA Novosti) - Oleg Lundstrem, the father of Russian jazz, died Friday at the age of 89.

"Oleg Lundstrem passed away during the night," said Alexander Bryskin, the director of the jazz music orchestra.

"Lundstrem was an epoch in music," said Igor Butman, a famous Russian jazz musician. "He was a unique person, an outstanding organizer, who managed to maintain an orchestra of top musicians and music arrangers for several decades. He was an extremely modest person who did his work with dignity."

Lundstrem was born April 2, 1916 in Russia's Far Eastern city of Chita. He lived in China with his parents, who worked there for 26 years until 1947. In 1953 he graduated from Kazan conservatory majoring in conducting and in 1956 he was invited to work in Moscow. He wrote many jazz compositions, symphonic suites and theater music.

Lundstrem was professor of San Marino International Academy of Sciences. Unesco awarded him a special certificate for his contribution to world arts.