Andy Williams, singer of ‘Moon River,’ dead at age 84

Singing legend Andy Williams died at the age of 84, after a year-long battle with bladder cancer.

Williams, best known for "Moon River," passed away at his home on Tuesday night in Branson, Missouri, according to a statement released on Wednesday morning, ABC News reported.

Williams began his career in the 1930s, as a child singer, and hit his career's peak in the 1960s, according to the BBC. He was known for his smooth voice, which Ronald Reagan once described as a national treasure.

Williams started singing in a quartet with his three older brothers, Bob, Don and Dick. "I loved singing and I loved singing with my brothers," he once said, according to the BBC. "We had a very nice, wonderful family life. I just didn't have any childhood."

After embarking on a solo career in the 50s, Williams made it big in the 60s. "The old cliche says that if you can remember the 1960s, you weren't there," he once said, according to the Associated Press. "Well, I was there all right, but my memory of them is blurred — not by any drugs I took but by the relentless pace of the schedule I set myself."

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Williams' biggest hit ended up being the Oscar-winning "Moon River," from "Breakfast at Tiffany's," and he would forever be associated with the song.

USA Today noted that even after his singing career stopped reaching the charts, Williams had a stable career on television, hosting Christmas specials, the Grammys, the Golden Globes and the People's Choice Awards several times.

In the early 1990s, Williams moved back to Branson and opened the Moon River Theater, where he performed until he was diagnosed with bladder cancer.

ABC News noted that Williams' last tweet on Twitter, dated September 22, was a single word: "Sigh."

Williams is survived by his wife, Debbie, and his three children, Robert, Noelle and Christian.

Here is a Williams performance of "Moon River," from the 1960s: