Legendary crooner Andy Williams dies (1927-2012)

Iowa native Howard Andrew Williams — best known to us as singer Andy Williams — recorded eighteen Gold and three Platinum albums, and was known to millions as the man who sang hits such as “Moon River,” “Butterfly,” “The Hawaiian Wedding Song,” “Canadian Sunset,” “Are You Sincere” and “Lonely Street,” among others. He was also the beloved voice behind several popular Christmas music collections.

But even before his solo career, he found acclaim when he and his three siblings formed the Williams Brothers quartet — and as such, appeared with Bing Crosby on the hit “Swinging on a Star.”

Much more than just a singer, Williams was, too, a notable TV personality. In fact, Andy had his own television variety program — The Andy Williams Show — which aired from 1962 to 1971, and the talented man hosted the Grammy Awards for seven years straight in the 1970s.

In 1992, he opened the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri — which Andy proudly noted was the first theater to ever be featured in Architectural Digest magazine.

Born on December 3, 1927, Andy Williams died on September 25, 2012 after fighting a year-long battle with bladder cancer. He was 84 years old.