His parents were born in Alsace, now part of France but once part of Germany. The accented English that he spoke throughout his career came to Mr. The last of the original Lawrence Welk shows went on the air April 18, 1982, giving him 27 years as a first-run performer. Welk became a prosperous businessman who syndicated his show after the network dropped it.

When the network canceled the show, it was not because his audience had become any less devoted to his 27-piece band, but because they were older and considered less desirable to advertisers.Ī home-taught musician who worked to overcome shyness in his early career, Mr. The 'a-one, a-two, a-three' cue line for which he was known helped to spread his fame even beyond the millions who tuned in to his weekly shows that appeared on ABC from 1955 through 1971. Welk's easy-listening, easy-to-watch style, but for many Americans it was, in the artlessly enthusiastic phrase he made popular, 'wunnerful, wunnerful.' Sophisticates might have found corniness in Mr. He had been suffering from pneumonia, the spokeswoman said.Ī man who got his start at North Dakota barn dances and spent years on ballroom bandstands across the country, he was known for a friendly demeanor, simple melodies and unswerving dedication to giving large and admiring family audiences the kind of entertainment they wanted and understood. Welk, whose shows have been television fixtures since 1955, died at home May 17 in Santa Monica, Calif., with family members gathered around. Bandleader Lawrence Welk, the North Dakota-born accordion player whose bubbly 'champagne music' and indefatigably wholesome style made his long-running television program an American cultural landmark, has died at age 89.Ī spokeswoman told the Associated Press that Mr.

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