- Monty Norman died at the age of 94 on July 11th after a short illness.
- He is best known for writing the music for “Dr. No,” the James Bond movie from 1962.
- His theme was arranged by fellow Englishman John Barry, and would become the theme for the whole franchise.
Monty Norman died at the age of 94. He was the person who came up with the famous James Bond theme. Rina Caesari, his second wife, and their daughter are the only ones who will remember him.
“It is with sadness we share the news that Monty Norman died on 11th July 2022 after a short illness,” said a statement on his official website, which was seen by the media.
Monty Norman is best known for writing the music for “Dr. No,” the James Bond movie starring Sean Connery in 1962. His theme for James Bond, as arranged by fellow Englishman John Barry, would become the theme for the whole franchise.
He wrote on his website, “We recognised we needed a fresh, contemporary sound for the main theme, and in the up-and-coming young John Barry we found a wonderful arranger, so the whole thing worked very well.”
According to the media, however, trouble started when Barry said he wrote the theme. Norman then sued the Times of London for libel over a 1997 article (called “Theme Tune Wrangle Has 007 Shaken and Stirred”) that questioned Norman’s claim that he was the real composer.
In 2001, a jury in London’s High Court sided with Norman and gave him £30,000 plus court costs. Norman later said that he felt like the decision proved him right.
The film composer and singer used to sing with a big band, but in the late 1950s, he switched to writing songs. In 1958, “Irma La Douce,” which was based on a successful French musical, was a hit on the West End. Producer Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli, who had put money into Norman’s short-lived 1961 musical “Belle,” asked him to go to Jamaica with the team that was filming “Dr. No” in January 1962.
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