Monty Norman, who designed the James Bond theme, has died at the age of 94, reports Variety. He is survived by his second wife Reena Kesari and a daughter. “It is with sadness that it is shared that Monty Norman passed away on 11 July 2022 following a short illness,” said a statement posted on his official website, accessed by Variety.
Norman most famously wrote ‘Dr. No’, a 1962 James Bond film starring Sean Connery. His theme for James Bond, as arranged by fellow Englishman John Barry, would become the theme for the entire franchise.
As Norman put it on his site: “We recognized we needed a fresh, contemporary sound for the main subject, and we found a wonderful coordinator in the up-and-coming young John Barry, so the whole thing worked great.”
However, according to ‘Variety’, disputes began decades later when Barry claimed to be the author of the subject, resulting in Norman suing the Times for defamation on a 1997 story (‘Theme Tune Wrangel Has 007 Shaken and Stirred’). of London, leading to controversy over Norman’s contention. He was a true musician.
A jury at the High Court of London ruled in favor of Norman in 2001, awarding him £30,000 plus court expenses. Norman later said that he felt right with the decision.
Norman was a former big band singer who became a songwriter in the late 1950s. He enjoyed a West End hit in 1958 with ‘Irma la Duce’, which was adapted from an earlier successful French musical. An investor in Norman’s 1961 musical ‘Belle’, producer Albert R. ‘Cubi’ Broccoli named him ‘Dr. No’.