How did Don Williams die? He was the last surviving member of 'The William brothers'
BRANSON, MISSOURI: World bid farewell to the last surviving member of 'The William brothers'. Don Williams, the final surviving member of the singing group The 'Williams Brothers', which comprised of his three brothers Bob, Dick, and Andy Williams, has died at the age of 100. According to his wife, Jeanne, Williams died from natural causes at his home in Branson, Missouri, on Friday, December 30. Don was born on October 9, 1922, in Wall Lake, Iowa, and is the second-oldest member of the singing quartet.
Their father, Jay Williams, was the group's manager. The quartet played on radio stations in Iowa, Chicago, and Cincinnati before relocating to Los Angeles and signing with MGM. The quartet collaborated with Kay Thompson in a nightclub routine choreographed by MGM choreographer Robert Alton after starring in Bing Crosby's 1944 hit 'Swinging on a Star' 'Anchors Aweigh' (1945), 'Ziegfeld Follies'(1945), 'The Harvey Girls' (1946), and 'Good News' (1946) are just a few of the subsequent movies on which The Brothers and Thompson worked together (1947). Don had a successful solo singing career throughout, according to People.
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The group further appeared in the musicals 'Janie' (1944), 'Kansas City Kitty' (1944), 'Something in the Wind' (1947), and 'Ladies' Man' (1947). The quartet disbanded in 1951 and went their own ways, but from 1962 until the 1990s they would get together annually for The Andy Williams Christmas Special.
Don had a successful solo career and performed on TV shows with Eddie Fisher and Nat King Cole. In addition, he played there starting in 1957 and made an appearance on a 1956 Playhouse 90 program. Don later took on the positions of agent and manager, taking care of people like Mary Tyler Moore and singers Ray Stevens and Roger Miller as his clients. From 1962 through 1990, he got together with his siblings every year for The Andy Williams Christmas performance. Don Williams County Park, a leisure area in Iowa, is also named in his honor.
Bob, the oldest brother and the firstborn died in September 2003 at the age of 85. Dick, who was born in 1926 and died in 2018, was 91 years old. The youngest member of the singing group, Andy, was born in 1927 and died in 2012 at the age of 84. Don is survived by his sons, Harrison, a grandchild, and Jeanne, his wife of 41 years.