LONDON (AP) – Dame Vera Lynn, the endearingly popular “Forces’ Sweetheart” who serenaded British troops during World War II, has died at 103.
During the war and long after, Lynn got crowds singing, smiling and crying with sentimental favorites such as “We’ll Meet Again,” and “The White Cliffs of Dover.”
“The family are deeply saddened to announce the passing of one of Britain’s best-loved entertainers at the age of 103, her family said in a statement. “Dame Vera Lynn, who lived in Ditchling, East Sussex, passed away earlier today, 18 June 2020, surrounded by her close family.”
Lynn possessed a down-to-earth appeal, reminding servicemen of the wives and sweethearts they left behind when they went off to war.
“I was somebody that they could associate with,” she once told The Associated Press. “I was an ordinary girl.”