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Monty Norman, who gained recognition as the composer of the theme for James Bond films, passed away at the age of 94. The news of the death of the composer, whose net worth is reportedly around $5 million, was posted on his official website.
The statement read:
“It is with sadness we share the news that Monty Normal died on 11th July 2022 after a short illness.”
However, additional details about his cause of death or his funeral were not provided, at the time of writing.
Monty Norman’s net worth and career explored
Born on April 4, 1928, Monty Norman was born to Annie and Abraham Noserovitch. Norman was evacuated from London during World War II and returned during the Blitz. When he was young, he joined the RAF to serve his nation, before he found his interest in singing.
Although the claims from sources have been different, Norman’s net worth was estimated to be around $5 million at the time of death. He earned a lot from his work as a composer and singer.
From 1950 to 1960, Norman was a member of the bands of Cyril Stapleton, Stanley Black, Ted Heath, and Nat Temple. He has performed in many other shows and shared the stage with well-known musical stars. These include Benny Hill, Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan, Jimmy James, Tony Hancock, Jimmy Edwards, and others.
Monty started composing in the late 1950s for performers like Cliff Richard, Tommy Steele, and Count Basie, as well as for musicals and films. He also wrote lyrics for musicals like Make Me an Offer and Expresso Bongo.
The composer won an Ivor Novello Award and a SWET Award for his work on Songbook and Poppy. Additionally, his song False Hearted Lover also received a positive response from the public.
Norman also composed music for films like The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll, Call Me Bwana, and more. He composed the music for two more musicals – Lucky Jim and Quick Quick Slow.
In 2004, he began working on his autobiography titled A Walking Stick Full of Bagels, in 2004.
Monty Norman and the James Bond theme music
Monty Norman wrote the James Bond theme and composed the music for the first film in the franchise, Dr. No. He was offered royalty payments for the theme in 1962.
Meanwhile, John Barry rearranged the theme after producers expressed their dissatisfaction with it. Barry once claimed to have written the theme. However, Monty won a lawsuit he had filed against publishers for incorrectly naming Barry as the composer.
Norman also performed in a musical number he prepared for a stage musical based on A House for Mr. Biswas in the DVD documentary, Inside Dr. No. The song was titled Bad Sign, Good Sign and was quite similar to the James Bond theme. The James Bond theme also had a resemblance to Celia Cruz’s Plegaria a La Roye.
Norman accumulated royalties worth £485,000 for using the theme from 1976 to 1999.
