James Bond theme tune composer leaves whopping £6.5million in his will

THE legendary composer behind the James Bond theme tune left £6.5million in his will.

Monty Norman, who died aged 94, was best known for scoring the first James Bond film, 1962’s Dr No starring Sir Sean Connery, which included the famous theme which has recurred throughout the 24 subsequent films.

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He sued The Sunday Times over a story they published which included claims that Norman didn’t actually write the Bond track.

The 2001 libel claim went to the High Court and he won £30,000 in damages from the paper.

He died in July 2022 after a short illness and probate documents showed that he left an estate with a gross value of £6,536,065, leaving a net value of £6,452,747.

Norman was born Monty Noserovitch in Stepney, east London, to Jewish parents and was evacuated during the early days of the Blitz.

Aged 16, his mum bought him a guitar, having knocked the seller’s price down from £17 to £15, and he started listening to the music of the Beatles and Eric Clapton.

In the 1950s and early 1960s, he served as a singer for big bands including those led by Cyril Stapleton, Ted Heath and Nat Temple, and appeared on variety show line-ups alongside comedy acts including Tony Hancock and Spike Milligan.

He and funnyman Benny Hill later took a joint variety show on the road, taking turns in the headline slot based on whether the town they were in preferred comedy or music.

Transitioning into composing, he wrote songs for Sir Cliff Richard and early rock and roller Sir Tommy Steele, and lyrics for musicals.