Vera Lynn, Singer Of Timeless Classics In WWII-Era Britain, Dies At 103 June 18, 202
Vera Lynn, Singer Of Timeless Classics In WWII-Era Britain, Dies At 103
June 18, 20201:16 PM ET
Marissa LoRusso, photographed for NPR, 19 September 2019, in Washington DC.
MARISSA LORUSSO
Twitter
Vera Lynn, Singer Of Timeless Classics In WWII-Era Britain, Dies At 103
June 18, 20201:16 PM ET
Marissa LoRusso, photographed for NPR, 19 September 2019, in Washington DC.
MARISSA LORUSSO
Twitter
Vera Lynn, serving cups of tea to servicemen stationed in Trafalgar Square on June 4, 1942.
Keystone/Getty Images
British singer Vera Lynn, whose touching ballads helped sustain the spirits of Britons during WWII, died today, according to a statement from the Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity. She was 103 years old.
Lynn rose to fame in the late 1930s and early '40s with songs like "We'll Meet Again," released in 1939 and "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover," from 1941. She became known as the "Forces' Sweetheart" due to her BBC radio program, Sincerely Yours, presented in the form of a letter to the soldiers on the frontlines. The show ran on Sundays after the nightly news; she once reportedly joked that "Winston Churchill was my opening act." In 1944, Lynn traveled to Egypt, India and Myanmar to entertain British troops. The British comedian Harry Secombe said, "Churchill didn't beat the Nazis. Vera sang them to death."
Vera Lynn, serving cups of tea to servicemen stationed in Trafalgar Square on June 4, 1942.
Keystone/Getty Images
British singer Vera Lynn, whose touching ballads helped sustain the spirits of Britons during WWII, died today, according to a statement from the Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity. She was 103 years old.
Lynn rose to fame in the late 1930s and early '40s with songs like "We'll Meet Again," released in 1939 and "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover," from 1941. She became known as the "Forces' Sweetheart" due to her BBC radio program, Sincerely Yours, presented in the form of a letter to the soldiers on the frontlines. The show ran on Sundays after the nightly news; she once reportedly joked that "Winston Churchill was my opening act." In 1944, Lynn traveled to Egypt, India and Myanmar to entertain British troops. The British comedian Harry Secombe said, "Churchill didn't beat the Nazis. Vera sang them to death."
