Last Andrews Sister Dead at 94

Patty Andrews, the last surviving member of the singing Andrews Sisters trio, died today at age 94. Their hits—including the rollicking "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" and the poignant "I Can Dream, Can't I?"—captured the home-front spirit of World War II. Patty was the Andrews in the middle, the lead singer and chief clown, whose raucous jitterbugging delighted American servicemen abroad and audiences at home. Her sisters were LaVerne and Maxene.

From the late 1930s through the 1940s, the Andrews Sisters produced one hit record after another, beginning with "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" in 1937 and continuing with "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar," "Rum and Coca-Cola," and more. They recorded more than 400 songs and sold more than 80 million records, several of them going gold. The Andrews Sisters' rise coincided with the advent of swing music, and their style fit perfectly into the new craze. During breaks in their singing, they cavorted about the stage in rhythm to the music. (More Patty Andrews stories.)