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Vera Lynn, who sang to WWII troops, dies at 103

By DANICA KIRKA, Associated Press
Published: June 18, 2020, 7:32pm
4 Photos
FILE - In this Friday Aug. 20, 2010 file photo, Dame Vera Lynn attends a ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. in central London. The family of World War II forces sweetheart Vera Lynn says she has died. She was 103 it was reported on Thursday, June 18, 2020.
FILE - In this Friday Aug. 20, 2010 file photo, Dame Vera Lynn attends a ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. in central London. The family of World War II forces sweetheart Vera Lynn says she has died. She was 103 it was reported on Thursday, June 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, File) Photo Gallery

LONDON — 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.”

Tributes poured in from political leaders, entertainers, veterans and thousands of fans.

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