Singer Andy Williams dies at age 84 after battling cancer

(REUTERS) - Crooner Andy Williams has died at age 84 at his home in Branson, Missouri, his family said on Wednesday.

Williams, who had been suffering from bladder cancer for a year, died on Tuesday evening, his family said in a statement.

Known for his hit renditions of Moon River and Born Free, Williams hosted The Andy Williams Show on NBC for nearly a decade. The show then became an annual Christmas special.

Williams became entangled in a scandal when his ex-wife Claudine Longet was accused in 1976 of fatally shooting her lover, ski racer Mr Spider Sabich.