Jarre, who won Oscars for his scoring for Lawrence Of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and A Passage To India, passed away in Los Angeles.
Jarre, who has been living in the US since the 1960s, was married four times and is the father of Jean-Michel Jarre.
One of his last public appearances was at the Berlinale, in February, when he was awarded an Honorary Golden Bear at this year's Berlinale for his lifetime achievement.
Director of the Berlinale, Dieter Kosslick, said at the time: "Film composers often are in the shadows of great directors and acting stars. It’s different with Maurice Jarre; the music of Doctor Zhivago, like much of his work, is world-famous and remains unforgotten in the history of cinema."