Iris Williams

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Welsh singer (1946–2025)

title: "Iris Williams" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1946-births", "2025-deaths", "welsh-women-singers", "alumni-of-the-royal-welsh-college-of-music-&-drama", "musicians-from-pontypridd", "bards-of-gorsedd-cymru", "20th-century-black-british-women-singers", "welsh-people-of-american-descent", "officers-of-the-order-of-the-british-empire", "welsh-expatriate-musicians-in-the-united-states"] description: "Welsh singer (1946–2025)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_Williams" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Welsh singer (1946–2025) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]

FieldValue
nameIris Williams
honorific_suffixOBE
imageFile:Advertising various books and records (1574760) (cropped).jpg
captionWilliams on a 1968 album cover
birth_date
birth_placeRhydyfelin, Wales
death_date
death_placeRancho Mirage, California, U.S.
genreMiddle of the Road
occupationSinger
years_active1971–2025
spouse
::

| name = Iris Williams | honorific_suffix = OBE | image = File:Advertising various books and records (1574760) (cropped).jpg | caption = Williams on a 1968 album cover | birth_date = | birth_place = Rhydyfelin, Wales | death_date = | death_place = Rancho Mirage, California, U.S. | genre = Middle of the Road | occupation = Singer | years_active = 1971–2025 | spouse =

Iris Williams (20 April 1946 – 11 July 2025) was a Welsh singer. Williams reached the peak of her popularity during the 1980s.

Early life and education

Williams was born in Rhydyfelin on 20 April 1946, to a Welsh mother and an African-American father. Brought up in a children's home in Tonyrefail and later adopted by the Llewellyn family, she worked in a factory and then won a scholarship to the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.

Career

Williams had major success in Wales with "Pererin Wyf" (1971) a Welsh-language version of "Amazing Grace". She also won the Welsh talent contest, Cân i Gymru (A Song for Wales) in 1974 with the song "I gael Cymru'n Gymru Rydd" (For a Free Wales).

In 1979, Williams had a top-20 UK hit with "He Was Beautiful", a song based on the already well-known theme from The Deer Hunter, with lyrics by Cleo Laine. As a result of hitting the national charts, she was given her own BBC series.

In 1991, Williams performed cabaret at the prestigious Oak Room in the Algonquin Hotel in New York City. Other engagements in the United States included five concerts with Bob Hope and an appearance with Rosemary Clooney. Williams also gave several charity performances for President Gerald Ford. She performed several times at the Royal Variety Performance and was one of the stars of the gala concert to celebrate the opening of the National Assembly for Wales in 1999.

Personal life and death

Williams married Clive Pyatt in 1982. The marriage produced one child. In the early 1980s, Williams took ownership of a public house at Winkfield near Ascot in Berkshire named "The Pheasant Plucker", combining running it with appearances on the club circuit, before relocating to New York in the early 1990s.

Williams was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2004 New Year Honours for services to music and charitable causes. In 2006, she performed at the Brecon Jazz Festival and was later admitted to the Gorsedd of Bards at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.

Williams died in Rancho Mirage, California, on 11 July 2025, aged 79.

References

References

  1. "Iris Williams Biography".
  2. (22 January 2014). "Iris Williams "owes her success to the kindness of foster carer"". WalesOnline.
  3. "Our Welsh History {{!}} Iris Williams OBE".
  4. Graham Henry. (26 May 2011). "Iris Williams: 'Wales will always be my great passion'".
  5. Dan Moffat. (11 July 2025). "Renowned Welsh singer Iris Williams dies aged 79".
  6. (27 October 1979). "HE WAS BEAUTIFUL (CAVATINA)".
  7. "BFI".
  8. "Review/Cabaret; Iris Williams's Way With Melody and Lyric (Published 1991)".
  9. United Kingdom: {{London Gazette. (31 December 2003)
  10. (11 July 2025). "Teyrngedau i’r gantores Iris Williams".
  11. (11 July 2025). "Y gantores Iris Williams wedi marw yn 79 oed".
  12. Reyes, Jesus. (11 July 2025). "Iris Williams, Rancho Mirage resident and renowned Welsh singer, dies".

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1946-births2025-deathswelsh-women-singersalumni-of-the-royal-welsh-college-of-music-&-dramamusicians-from-pontypriddbards-of-gorsedd-cymru20th-century-black-british-women-singerswelsh-people-of-american-descentofficers-of-the-order-of-the-british-empirewelsh-expatriate-musicians-in-the-united-states