Former Strictly star dies aged 86 – details

The Strictly Come Dancing family has sadly lost one of its original members as Laurence Holloway, the show’s musical director for its first three seasons, has passed away.

The composer and pianist’s death was confirmed by his daughter, Abigail Holloway, who shared that the star had died at the age of 86 following a “short illness”. Laurence is survived by his daughters Abigail and Karon alongside three grandchildren: Freddie, Henry and Alfie.

Alongside his work on Strictly Come Dancing, Laurence also composed the theme song for Cilla Black’s Blind Date, gameshow Game for a Laugh and served as the musical director for Sir Michael Parkinson’s iconic chat show, Parkinson.

In his music career, Laurence worked with legendary artists including Engelbert Humperdinck, Sir Tom Jones, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Sammy Davis Jr, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Mel Torme, Bob Monkhouse, Barry Humphries and Ronnie Corbett.

He also worked with his late wife, jazz singer Marion Montgomery, who regularly performed on Parkinson. Marion sadly passed away at the age of 67 back in 2002.

In 2013, Laurence has made an MBE for his services to music, where he revealed that he had previously played for the late Queen and Princess Margaret, as well as recording several nursey rhymes for the Queen Mother when she marked her 90th birthday.

© Alan Davidson/Shutterstock

During his time on Strictly Come Dancing, Laurence will have worked alongside the show’s original host, Sir Bruce Forsyth, who sadly died in 2017.

The show continues to pay tribute to the iconic entertainer and at the launch show of its latest series, a bus could be seen with a number plate saying: “BF”, the star’s initials.

© Ken McKay/Shutterstock

Sir Bruce stepped away from the show in 2013, saying at the time: “After 10 wonderful years and 11 series, I believe it is now the right time to step down from the rigours of presenting the Strictly live shows.  

“I am very proud of what the show has achieved and confident it will entertain the nation for many years to come. I am also delighted that by presenting the Christmas and Children in Need shows I will continue to have a strong association with Strictly.”