Debussy photographed by Nadar. Claude-Achille Debussy (August 22, 1862 - March 25, 1918) was a French composer. He was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music. He was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 1903. A crucial figure in the transition to the modern era in Western music, he remains one of the most famous and influential of all composers. In French literary circles, the style of this period was known as symbolism, a movement that directly inspired Debussy both as a composer and as an active cultural participant. Debussy was diagnosed with the cancer in 1909 after experiencing haemorrhaging, and in 1916 underwent one of the first colostomy operations ever performed. He died of rectal cancer in 1918. The application of the term "impressionist" to Debussy and the music he influenced is a matter of intense debate within academic circles. One side argues that the term is a misnomer, an inappropriate label which Debussy himself opposed.