Andy Williams

Born: 03 December 1927

Years Active: 1938–2012

Died: 25 September 2012

Age: 84

Genre/s: Traditional pop, Easy listening

Label/s: Cadence, Columbia, London, Polydor

Member of: The Williams Brothers

Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a television variety show, from 1962 to 1971, along with numerous TV specials. The Andy Williams Show won three Emmy Awards. He sold more than 45 million records worldwide, including more than 10 million certified units in the United States.

Williams was active in the music industry for over 70 years until his death in September 2012 from bladder cancer, at the age of 84.

Williams was born in Wall Lake, Iowa, on December 3, 1927, to Florence (née Finley) and Jay Emerson Williams, who worked in insurance and the post office. By 1935, he was living in Des Moines, Iowa. While living in Cheviot, Ohio, Williams attended Western Hills High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. He finished high school at University High School, in Los Angeles, because of his family's move to California. By 1945, he had moved to West Los Angeles, California. At age 17, Williams joined the United States Merchant Marine and served until the end of World War II.