An iconic composer from cult films is gone

British composer Monty Norman, best known for writing the iconic music for the James Bond films, has died at the age of 94, his official website said.

“It is with sadness that we share the news that Monty Norman passed away on July 11, 2022 after a short illness,” said the announcement, quoted by BGNES.

Norman was born Monty Noserowicz in East London, to a Jewish family, on April 4, 1928. He began his singing career with big bands, then turned to composing, writing songs for musicals and films, including “Songbook” and ” Poppy and Make Me An Offer’, as well as for pop stars such as Cliff Richard. His most famous work was when, in 1962, he was asked to write the score for the first James Bond film, Dr. No, although the producers brought in John Barry to rearrange the piece. Barry claims that he actually wrote the piece, but Norman wins a defamation case against the Sunday Times when the paper makes similar claims.

The theme became an integral part of the Bond brand, appearing in 24 subsequent films.

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