British composer Monty Norman, best known for writing the iconic theme song for the James Bond films, died on Monday at the age of 94, his official website announced.
“It is with sadness that we share the news that Monty Norman passed away on July 11, 2022 after a short illness,” the statement read.
Norman was born Monty Noserovitch in East London, to Jewish parents, on April 4, 1928.
He began his career as a singer with big bands before turning to songwriting, writing songs for musicals and movies like “Songbook” and “Poppy and Make Me An Offer” and for pop stars like Cliff Richard.
His best-known work came when he was asked to compose the music for the first James Bond film, “Dr. No,” in 1962, although the producers hired John Barry to rearrange the piece.
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Barry said that he had actually written the article, but Norman won a libel case against the Sunday Times when he made similar claims.
The theme became an integral part of the Bond brand, appearing in a subsequent 24 films.
