25 Facts About James Last

James Last, known as Hansi, was a German composer and big band leader of the James Last Orchestra.

James Last undertook his final tour months before his death at age 86, upon discovering in September 2014 that an illness had worsened.

James Last was born to Louis and Martha James Last in Bremen, Germany.

James Last was the younger brother of Robert Last and Werner Last.

James Last's father was an official at the postal and public works department of the city of Bremen and Last grew up in the suburb of Sebaldsbruck.

James Last began studying the piano at age 10, although he could play simple tunes such as the folk song "Hanschen klein" when he was 9.

James Last started playing more actively with his second tutor and switched to the double bass as a teenager.

James Last entered the Buckeburg Military Music School of the German Wehrmacht at the age of 14 and learned to play bass, piano and tuba.

James Last was voted as the best bassist in the country in a German jazz poll for 1950,1951 and 1952.

James Last first released albums in the US under the titles The American Patrol on Warner Bros.

James Last released a series of nine albums in a series called Classics Up To Date which served up arrangements of classical melodies with strings, rhythm and wordless chorus from the mid-1960s until the early 1980s.

James Last's 1965 album, Non Stop Dancing, was a recording of brief renditions of popular songs, all tied together by an insistent dance beat and crowd noises.

James Last had his own successful television series throughout the 1970s with guests including ABBA and Lynsey de Paul which was screened across Europe.

James Last won numerous popular and professional awards, including Billboard magazine's Star of the Year trophy in 1976, and was honoured for lifetime achievement with the German ECHO prize in 1994.

James Last's song "Music from Across the Way" is a melody with a classical feeling and was a worldwide hit; it was the only other Last single apart from "The Seduction" to reach the US Hot 100, where it peaked at No 84 in late 1971.

James Last was awarded the Carl Alan Award by Princess Margaret for being the leader of the most popular dance band of 1981.

James Last encouraged the band to have fun with it and sometimes the band members would go into the audience and make a conga line with duck head umbrellas.

In February 2015, after almost 50 years on tour, James Last announced that he was finally bidding adieu to the stage.

James Last married his first wife, Waltraud, in 1955; they had two children, Ronald and Caterina.

James Last gave much credit to Christine and son Ronald for help with his music.

James Last fell victim to a number of investment fraudsters, starting with his tax advisor.

James Last bought oil rigs, wineries and cotton fields in the US as depreciation assets.

James Last took out a loan from the Hamburger Sparkasse and was not financially debt-free again until shortly before his 70th birthday.

In September 2014 James Last learned that a "life threatening" illness had worsened, and in early 2015 he announced his retirement from touring would take place following a final "goodbye tour", which commenced in Germany and ended in London.

James Last died less than three months later, on 9 June 2015 in Florida at the age of 86.