Patty Andrews, the last surviving member of the Andrews Sisters trio, died of natural causes at her home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, according to her management. She was 94. The group’s career spanned more than five decades and resulted in 90 million records and 46 top ten hits.
The youngest of the sisters, Patricia Marie Andrews was just 19 when the trio became an overnight sensation crooning the old Yiddish folk tune “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen.” Patty not only sang lead — she was clearly the star of the group.
“Patty was an outstanding presence. She was the leader; she was the one that your eyes would focus on,” says Joel Whitburn, founder of a company that’s tracked Billboard’s popular music charts for almost 40 years called Record Research. “She just seemed to effuse that warmth and personality and charm and smile — and vigor — more so than the other two sisters.”
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