Former Strictly Come Dancing music director Laurie Holloway dies aged 86

Laurie Holloway, the previous musical director of BBC leisure reveals akin to Parkinson's and Strictly Come Dancing, has died on the age of 86.

The pianist and composer was well-known to a technology of TV viewers, and in addition labored with singers akin to Petula Clark, Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck.

Sir Michael Parkinson's son Mike Parkinson confirmed to BBC News that Holloway, whom his household described as a “much-loving and wonderful person”, had died “after a short illness”.

Holloway composed TV theme tunes for applications together with Blind Date, Beadles About, Game for a Laugh, Wicked Women and Maggie and Her.

Born in Oldham in 1938, Holloway started studying piano at an early age and have become an organist and choirboy at his native church on the age of 12.

He started enjoying at ballroom dances and on cruise ships. He additionally labored as a studio session musician and performed with the Cyril Stapleton Band.

His credit embrace Clark's hit Downtown, launched in 1964. He labored with Humperdinck within the early Nineteen Seventies, enjoying on his albums and becoming a member of him on tour within the US.

Before starting work on tv reveals he additionally labored with Cleo Laine, Judy Garland, Sammy Davis Jr., violinist Stéphane Grappelli, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and the John Dankworth Band.

Holloway's household known as him “an inspiration” to them and people with whom he labored, or who adopted his “fantastic musical career”.

She added, “He was extremely proud of the charity The Montgomery Holloway Music Trust, which he created with his late wife, the singer Marion Montgomery, supporting young singers, for which he was awarded an MBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Was gone.”

“He will be greatly missed and remembered with great affection.”

The musician began working with chat show host Sir Michael Parkinson in 1998, and remained with the show for the next decade, including after it moved to ITV in 2004.

The two men were close friends and Holloway Wrote a tribute to Sir Michael to UK Jazz News after his death in 2023. The two men lived close to each other in Bray, Berkshire.

Also in 2004, Holloway served as musical director for the first series of Strictly Come Dancing. He provided several musical arrangements each week and continued to work on the show for the following two series.

This set the stage for live music in the hugely popular dance competition, which has been airing for two decades.

He was made an MBE in 2013 for providers to music.