Joe Loss; British Bandleader

Joe Loss, 80, a bandleader who became a favorite of both Great Britain and its royal family. Born Joshua Alexander Loss, the son of a cabinetmaker who wanted him to become a classical violinist, Loss’ first job was playing the violin in silent films for $2.50 a week. At 20 he became Britain’s youngest bandleader, playing at the Astoria Ballroom in Charing Cross Road in London. Loss once said he had married more couples than any clergyman because of the number of people who wed after meeting at his dances. The Joe Loss Orchestra also played many years on the cruise ship Queen Elizabeth II and entertained the royal family at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. Dame Vera Lynn, who came to international prominence during World War II, was accompanied by Loss’ band on her first radio broadcast while his signature tune “In the Mood,” sold a million copies. Loss claimed the secret of his long career was his energetic foot-tapping. “I once put on a pedometer and discovered that I had walked eight miles in a three-hour performance,” he said. In London on Wednesday of the complications of kidney disease.