John Barry, the Oscar-winning composer most famous for scoring eleven James Bond films, has died in New York at 77. Barry often claimed to have written the well-known "James Bond Theme," though credit is still officially given to Monty Norman.

John Barry, the man who turned squeak-preventer WD-40 into a household name, died July 3 at the age of 84. "He had a saying: 'Don't be like a blind dog in a meat house.'" One less independent thinker. [LAT]