BRANSON, Mo. — Legendary crooner Andy Williams, whose singing career stretched for over seven decades, died at his home in Branson, Missouri, on Tuesday night, his family announced on Wednesday.
Williams had been in a year-long fight with bladder cancer. He was 84 years old.
Born in Wall Lake, Iowa, in 1927, Williams signing career began in 1938 when he joined his older brothers and began performing as the Williams Brothers on radio stations across the Midwest. Williams went solo in 1953, and had a string of hits including “Moon River”, “Canadian Sunset“, “Butterfly”, “Lonely Street”, “The Village of St. Bernadette”, and “The Hawaiian Wedding Song.”
Williams also had a long-running NBC variety series, “The Andy Williams Show,” which ran from 1962 through 1972, as well as a popular series of Christmas specials that starred his entire family.
In 1992, Williams opened the Andy Williams Moon River Theater in Branson – the first non-country singer to open a theater in the Ozark resort town.
Williams, who also had a residence in La Quinta, California, is survived by his wife Debbie and his three children, Robert, Noelle and Christian.