Andy Williams RIP

ANDY WILLIAMS, the sweet-voiced pop singer and immensely popular TV show host, has died at age 84. Paul Shefrin, Williams' publicist, told the AP this morning that the singer died Tuesday night at his home in Branson, MO, following a yearlong battle with bladder cancer. The Andy Williams Show, which aired in various iterations from 1957 to 1971, featured Williams alternately performing MOR ballads and bantering casually with his guest stars. It was on that show that Williams—who launched his own career as part of sibling quartet the Williams Brothers—introduced the world to the Osmond Brothers. Kid brother Donny Osmond made his debut on the show in 1963 when he was 6 years old. Williams kept easy listening on the charts during the rock-dominated ’60s with hits like “Moon River,” "Canadian Sunset," "The Hawaiian Wedding Song," "Dear Heart," "Days of Wine and Roses," the theme from Love Story" and "Charade." Williams racked up 18 gold and three platinum albums over his long career and was nominated for five Grammys. Ironically, the clean-cut Williams was connected to a scandal, if only indirectly, when his ex-wife, former Las Vegas showgirl Claudine Longet, murdered her lover, skiing champion Spider Sabich, in 1976. He’s survived by his wife, Debbie, and his three children, Robert, Noelle and Christian. (9/26a)