James Bond theme composer Monty Norman passes away

Composer Monty Norman, known for composing the signature theme music of the James Bond franchise, passed away on Monday. He was 94.

Norman composed the theme music for the first James Bond film Dr.No, which was released in 1962. It was later rearranged by composer John Barry. The theme music, now synonymous with the James Bond franchise, has appeared in some form or another in all the 25 Bond films that have been released so far.

In a statement released by his family, it was mentioned that he died on Monday, following an illness.

The British composer had also composed Underneath the mango tree for Dr.No. The song can be heard as Ursula Andress, the first-ever Bond girl walks out of the ocean in the now-iconic white bikini. Monty Norman has reportedly been collecting royalty checks for his composition until his death in 2022. 

Even though many fans mistakenly attribute the James Bond theme to composer John Barry, Monty Norman had won two libel action cases against the publishers who claimed John Barry as the composer.

The iconic theme music has gone through several iterations and popular reimaginings throughout the long 60-year existence of the franchise. Perhaps no other piece of film music has such a strong brand recognition and an unshakeable place in pop culture history as the Bond theme music.