Don Williams, The Williams Brothers’ Last Surviving Member, Dead at 100
The group, comprised of Don and his brothers Andy, Bob, and Dick Williams, performed in movies and on radio
Don Williams, the last surviving member of The Williams Brothers — a singing quartet comprising himself and his three brothers Bob, Dick and Andy Williams — has died. He was 100.
His death was confirmed by his wife Jeanne who told The Hollywood Reporter that Don died on Friday from natural causes at his home in Branson, Missouri. Representatives for The Williams Brothers did not immediately return PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The second oldest of the singing foursome, Don was born on Oct. 9, 1922, in Wall Lake, Iowa.
The group was managed by their father Jay Williams. Prior to moving to Los Angeles and being signed with MGM, the group performed on radio stations in Iowa, Chicago, and Cincinnati.
After appearing in Bing Crosby’s 1944 hit “Swinging on a Star,” the group partnered with Kay Thompson to perform a nightclub act staged by MGM choreographer Robert Alton. The Brothers and Thompson also later collaborated on films including Anchors Aweigh (1945), Ziegfeld Follies (1945), The Harvey Girls (1946), and Good News (1947).
Additionally, the group also starred in the musicals Janie (1944), Kansas City Kitty (1944), Something in the Wind (1947), and Ladies’ Man (1947).
During his solo career, Don had worked on TV shows, singing on programs hosted by Eddie Fisher and Nat King Cole. He also performed at the Tropicana Las Vegas since its opening in 1957 and appeared on an episode of Playhouse 90 in 1956.
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Don went on to take on roles as agent and manager, looking after his clients such as Mary Tyler Moore and singers Ray Stevens and Roger Miller. He reunited with his brothers annually from 1962 to 1990 for The Andy Williams Christmas show. A recreation area in Iowa was also named after him called Don Williams County Park.
Born in 1918, Bob, the oldest of brothers, died in September 2003 aged 85. Dick, who was born in 1926, died in 2018 at the age of 91. Meanwhile, the youngest of the singing quartet Andy, born in 1927, died in 2012 aged 84.
According to THR, Don is survived by his wife of 41 years, their twin sons, David and Andy — who also recorded as the Williams Brothers in the 1990s — and a grandson, Harrison.
