Monty Norman, well known as the composer of the James Bond film themes, died at the age of 94. The composer’s death was announced on his official website, where his net worth is estimated to be over $5 million.
According to the statement:
“We regret to inform you that Monty Normal passed away on July 11, 2022, after a brief illness.”
However, no more information concerning his cause of death or burial arrangements was supplied at the time of writing.
Monty Norman’s Net worth and career
Monty Norman was born on April 4, 1928, to Annie and Abraham Noserovitch. During WWII, Norman was evacuated from London and returned during the Blitz. Before discovering his passion for music, he joined the RAF as a young man to serve his country. Despite conflicting reports, Norman’s net worth was reported to be approximately $5 million at the time of his death. He made a lot of money as a songwriter and vocalist.
Norman played in the bands of Cyril Stapleton, Stanley Black, Ted Heath, and Nat Temple from 1950 to 1960. He has been in a number of other events and shared the stage with well-known musical artists. Benny Hill, Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan, Jimmy James, Tony Hancock, Jimmy Edwards, and others are among them. Monty began writing music in the late 1950s for artists including Cliff Richard, Tommy Steele, and Count Basie, as well as for musicals and films. He has contributed lyrics to musicals such as Make Me an Offer and Expresso Bongo.
“We are saddened to learn of the passing of Monty Norman today. Monty created the iconic anthem to accompany the cinematic entrance of the world’s greatest secret agent, 007, and we are eternally grateful for his contribution to the franchise” Michael G. Wilson & Barbara Broccoli pic.twitter.com/R2IYZMYSac
— James Bond (@007) July 11, 2022
For his work on Songbook and Poppy, the composer received an Ivor Novello Award and a SWET Award. His song False Hearted Lover has garnered excellent feedback from the public. Norman has also written music for films such as The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll, Call Me Bwana, and others. He wrote the music for two other musicals, Lucky Jim and Quick Quick Slow. In 2004, he started writing his memoirs, A Walking Stick Full of Bagels.
The James Bond theme tune and Monty Norman
Monty Norman provided the music for the first film in the James Bond series, Dr. No. In 1962, he was given royalties for the tune. Meanwhile, when producers voiced unhappiness with the tune, John Barry reworked it. Barry once claimed to be the author of the theme. Monty, on the other hand, won a case he brought against publishers for mistakenly crediting Barry as the composer.
Norman also appeared in the DVD documentary Inside Dr. No. in a musical piece he wrote for a theater musical based on A House for Mr. Biswas. The tune, Bad Sign, Good Sign, was quite similar to the James Bond theme. The James Bond theme was also reminiscent of Celia Cruz’s Plegaria a La Roye. From 1976 until 1999, Norman earned £485,000 in royalties for utilizing the tune.
