Don Williams, The Last Surviving Member Of The Williams Brothers Quartet, Has Died At The Age Of 100

Don Williams, who performed on the radio, in movies, and with Bing Crosby and Kay Thompson in a singing quartet with Andy Williams and their brothers, Dick and Bob, has died. He was 100.

Williams died of natural causes at his home in Branson, Missouri, on Friday (Dec. 30), according to his wife, Jeanne.

Don, the second oldest of the Wall Lake, Iowa-bred quartet, was born on October 9, 1922. He and his brothers would spend the mornings in Des Moines, Iowa, on their own live radio show, and then go to school.

Before coming to Los Angeles, the boys performed on stations in Chicago and Cincinnati and backed up Crosby on his 1944 hit “Swinging on a Star.” They later collaborated with Thompson to form a popular nightclub act.

Thompson, who oversaw MGM’s vocal department, placed the brothers in the studio choir, and they appeared in films such as Anchors Aweigh (1945), Ziegfeld Follies (1945), The Harvey Girls (1946), and Good News (1947). (1947).

They also appeared in Janie (1944), Kansas City Kitty (1944), Something in the Wind (1947), and Ladies’ Man (1948). (1947).

Don appeared on a 1956 episode of Playhouse 90 without his brothers and headlined at the Tropicana hotel in Las Vegas shortly after it opened in 1957. He also performed in commercials, The Tonight Show, and shows hosted by Eddie Fisher and Nat King Cole.

He later became an agent and manager, and among his clients were Mary Tyler Moore and singers Ray Stevens and Roger Miller.

During WWII, he and Dick served in the United States Merchant Marine, and they were both radio operators on the same tanker.

Don Williams County Park, in Boone County, Iowa, is named after him.
Andy Williams, best known for his easy-listening hits “Moon River,” “Days of Wine and Roses,” and “(Where Do I Begin) Love Story,” as well as hosting the first seven live Grammy telecasts, was born as the youngest of three boys in 1927. He passed away in September 2012, at the age of 84.

Bob Williams, the oldest, was born in 1918 and died in September 2003 at the age of 85. Dick, who was born in 1926, died in May 2018 at the age of 91.

The four were frequently reunited for Andy Williams’ Christmas specials.

In addition to his wife, with whom he had been married for 41 years, Don is survived by his twin sons, David and Andy, and a grandson, Harrison. His sons also recorded as the Williams Brothers, with hits like “What’s Your Name” and “Can’t Cry Hard Enough.”

Get The Latest Updates From The World Of Music, Movies, TV, Culture, And Fashion In Musical States Magazine. Please Follow Us On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, And Linkedin To Receive Instantaneous Updates