Don Williams dies at the age of 100

• Don Williams was the only surviving member of a legendary group.
• He had a long and successful life.
• Fans honor him.

Legendary country singer Don Williams passed away at 100 years old, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The musician and his brothers formed a quartet that was extremely influential in their day.

His wife released the sad news and fans immediately took to social media to offer their condolences to the musician’s family. We look back on Don Williams extraordinary life and career.

Don Williams’ incredible career

Don Williams partnered with Andy Williams and his brothers, Dick and Bob, to form a singing quartet that performed on radio, in movies, as well as with Bing Crosby and Kay Thompson. Born on October 9, 1922, Don was the second oldest of the quartet raised in Wall Lake, Iowa.

Early in his career, Don and his brothers hosted their own live radio show in the mornings, in Des Moines, Iowa, before heading off to school. Doris Day had known them since they were children. «I would often go to their house and we would sing together,» she recalled after Andy Williams’ death in September 2012.

He showed great talent from a young age

The group also performed on stations in Chicago and Cincinnati. Their father, a railroad worker, moved the family so the children could perform in larger cities before coming to Los Angeles and accompanying Crosby on his 1944 hit Swinging on a Star.

Later, they teamed up with Thompson to form a popular nightclub act which had a stint at the Plaza in New York. Thompson, who headed MGM’s vocal department, put the brothers in the studio choir and they worked on such films as Anchors Aweigh (1945), Ziegfeld Follies (1945), The Harvey Girls (1946) and Good News (1947).

Don Williams’ acting career

They also appeared in the musicals Janie (1944), Kansas City Kitty (1944), Something in the Wind (1947), and Ladies’ Man (1947). Without his brothers, Don appeared in a 1956 episode of Playhouse 90 and headlined at the Tropicana Hotel shortly after it opened in Las Vegas in 1957.

He also sang in commercials, on The Tonight Show, and on shows hosted by Eddie Fisher and Nat King Cole. Later, he became an agent and manager, with clients including Mary Tyler Moore and singers Ray Stevens and Roger Miller. FILED UNDER: Don Williams Dies

Don Williams was in the navy

During World War II, Williams served in the US Merchant Marine with Dick, and they were both radio operators on the same tanker. Bob was also in the Merchant Marine, while Andy was too young. Don Williams County Park, a recreation area in Boone County, Iowa, is named for him.

Williams died last Friday of natural causes at his home in Branson, Missouri, his wife, Jeanne, told The Hollywood Reporter. «The world lost another legend.» «The best in country,» commented social media users. FILED UNDER: Don Williams Dies