Celebrities

LOS ANGELES -- Celebrities have long contended with the occasional downsides of stardom - tabloid scandals, stalkers, box office bombs, the paparazzi. Now, add "swatting" to the list - a prank that sends police charging to the gates of stars' homes on false reports of gunmen, hostages or other crimes in progress.

Andy Williams, whose languid crooning style and disarming presence propelled him to recording and television stardom in the 1960s, with hits including “Moon River” and the inescapable holiday jingle “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” died Sept. 25 at his home in Branson, Mo. He was 84.

He died after a year-long battle with bladder cancer, his publicist, Paul Shefrin, said.

Williams’ entertainment career spanned eight decades, starting when he was an 8-year-old singer performing at church socials in his native Iowa. With his radiant smile, chiseled dimples and earnest personality, he conveyed an unfailingly wholesome image throughout his career - sometimes to his dismay. All too often, he wrote in his memoir, he was perceived as a “farm boy in a tuxedo.”