'Silver Bells' singer Carol Richards dies

VERO BEACH, Fla., March 23 (UPI) -- Carol Richards, who teamed with Bing Crosby on the Christmas classic "Silver Bells," died of heart disease in a Vero Beach, Fla., hospital. She was 84.

The duet "Silver Bells" was featured in the 1951 Bob Hope film, "The Lemon Drop Kid," but the American Music Preservation Web site said a different Crosby-Richards version made the song famous, the Los Angeles Times said.

Richards was the "voice" for several movie musicals including actress Cyd Charisse in "Brigadoon" with Gene Kelly and "Silk Stockings" with Fred Astaire, her daughter, Jean Laughlin, said.

In the 1950s, Richards was a regular on "The Bob Crosby Show," a daytime television program that starred Bing's younger brother. She also appeared on television variety shows and worked with, among others, Danny Kaye and Jerry Lewis.

Richards, who died last Friday, was married five times. She is survived by her husband and numerous children and grandchildren.