The road to Bingdom began May 2nd 1904, in Tacoma Washington.
His real name Harry Lillis Crosby, refused to stick.
According to friends, he so loved a comic strip
called the Bingville Bugle that he became Bing himself.

Bing developed that mellifluous tone,
a mere phrase of which causes millions of Americans
to imagine "the gold of the day meeting the blue of the night".

He embodied America’s aspirations to be carefree, secure and grateful.
When he was asked what his epitaph should read,
he replied "He was an average guy who could carry a tune."
And we understood that he spoke for all of us.

Bing’s biggest commercial hit was "White Christmas".
It topped the pop charts in three different years,
1942, 1945, and 1947.
The song remains Bing’s best selling recording,
and the best selling Christmas single of all time.

The partnership of Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters
is still regarded as one of the legendary pairings in popular music.

And he was no stranger to Hollywood.
"Going My Way" was the top box office draw of 1944,
and was nominated for 9 Academy Awards, winning 7 of them.
He won a Best Actor for the film.

His Road films with Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour
were a huge success as well.
There were 7 road pictures.
Singapore, Zanzibar, Morocco, Utopia, Rio, Bali, and Hong Kong.
All were major box office hits.
An 8th road picture was to be filmed in 1978.
It had been tentatively called "Road to the Fountain of Youth",
and would have reunited Bing, Bob and Dorothy.
Before the new adventure could begin
Bing died suddenly of a heart attack in Spain.

Bing died October 14, 1977
at the La Moraleja golf course near Madrid, Spain.
He finished 18 holes of golf carding an 85,
and with his partner, defeated 2 Spanish golf pros.
His last words were "It was a great game."

So was his career as an entertainer.