Strictly Come Dancing legend who worked on Parkinson & performed for late Queen dies aged 86 after short illness liennhi

A STRICTLY Come Dancing legend who worked on Parkinson and performed for the late Queen has died aged 86 following a short illness.

Laurence Holloway worked as a former musical director on both Strictly Come Dancing and talk show Parkinson during his iconic career.

The English composer, who started off as a pianist in dance bands, died after a "short illness" on Thursday, his daughter Abigail Holloway told the PA news agency.

During his career, the jazz musician worked with the singer Engelbert Humperdinck, Sir Tom Jones, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Sammy Davis Jr, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Mel Torme, Bob Monkhouse, Barry Humphries and Ronnie Corbett along with his late wife Marion Montgomery.

American jazz singer Montgomery, who had lived in England for more than 30 years, became a household name in the 1960s and in the 1970s when she was a resident singer on Sir Michael Parkinson's chat show, where Holloway was later a musical director.

Montgomery died in Bray, Berkshire, aged 67 in 2002.

Holloway was the musical director for the first three seasons of Strictly Come Dancing, which began in 2004.

In 2013, Holloway became an MBE for services to music.

At his investiture ceremony, he told the late Queen of the time he played piano for her and Princess Margaret at Buckingham Palace, and recorded nursery rhymes for the Queen Mother's 90th birthday.

"I don't think she remembered, but I reminded her," he said.

Holloway is also known for composing TV theme tunes including for Cilla Black game show Blind Date, game show Game For A Laugh and hidden camera programme Beadle's About.

He received a gold badge from the Ivors Academy in 1993, when the body was known as the British Academy of Songwriters Composers and Authors (BASCA).

The composer also contributed to the recording of Petula Clark's 1960s hit Downtown.

Holloway is survived by his daughters, Karon and Abigail and three grandsons Freddie, Henry and Alfie.