Moon River crooner dies at 84
ST. LOUIS — With a string of gold albums, a hit TV series and the signature Moon River, Andy Williams was a voice of the 1960s, although not the 1960s we usually hear about.
The singer known for his easylistening style and his wholesome, middle-America appeal was the antithesis of the counterculture that gave rise to rock and roll.
“The old cliche says that if you can remember the 1960s, you weren’t there,” he once recalled.
“Well, I was there all right, but my memory of them is blurred – not by any drugs I took but by the relentless pace of the schedule I set myself.”
Williams’ plaintive tenor, boyish features and clean-cut demeanour helped him outlast many of the decade’s rock stars and fellow crooners such as Frank Sinatra and Perry Como. He remained on the charts into the 1970s, hosting hugely popular Christmas television specials and becoming closely associated with the holiday standard The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.
Williams, who continued to perform into his 80s at the Moon River Theatre he built in Branson, Mo., announced in November 2011 that he had been diagnosed with bladder cancer and vowed to return to performing the following year, his 75th in show business.
The 84-year-old entertainer died Tuesday night at his Branson home following a year-long battle with the disease, his Los Angeles- based publicist, Paul Shefrin, said Wednesday.
Williams became a major star in 1956, the same year as Elvis Presley, with the Sinatra-like swing number Canadian Sunset.
For a time, he was pushed into such Presley imitations as Lips of Wine and the No. 1 smash Butterfly. But he mostly stuck to what he called his natural style and kept it up throughout his career.
In 1970, when even Sinatra had temporarily retired, Williams was in the top 10 with the theme from Love Story, the Oscar-winning tearjerker. He had 18 gold records, three platinum and five Grammy award nominations.
Williams was also the first host of the live Grammy awards telecast and hosted the show for seven consecutive years, beginning in 1971. — Used To Be Sensible in
Milwaukee Dear Milwaukee: There are children involved in this mess, and you should think of them.
Ideally, you and your husband would work on this together and make your marriage stronger. It requires that you both get back into counselling, that he sticks to the plan and that you give up your boyfriend.
If you are not ready to do that, please get a legal separation from your husband and put a custody and visitation plan into effect while you sort this out. Don’t wait too long. Your husband may decide he is entitled to look elsewhere for happiness, too.
Dear Annie: I was recently invited to a small, informal engagement party. The invitation said, “No gifts, please,” so I followed that. But when I arrived, there was a table with quite a few cards, a bottle of wine and other small boxes.
My uncle is getting married soon for the second time. He is having the ceremony and a dinner at a local restaurant.
His invitation also says, “No gifts, please, only best wishes.”
My sister says we must get him a gift, or we are being cheap, no matter what the invitation says.
But I would think people would — A Caring Wife
Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column.
Please email your questions to anniesmailbox@comcast.net.