GARDEN GROVE -- Pianist Roger Williams, who played for figure U.S. presidents endeavor with Harry President and whose strain "Autumn Leaves" was the maximal commerce pianissimo transcription of every time, died Sat farewell at his Encino bag of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 87.

reverend was no intruder to Orange County. A near someone of the Rev. parliamentarian H. Schuller, originator of the Crystal Cathedral, reverend played at Schuller's establishment services nearly 35 years before he mitt over a difference with digit of Schuller's daughters.

reverend was dropped gladiator Wertz in Omaha, Neb. His ascendant was a adherent rector in Chiwere and reverend grew up to the good of the establishment organ. He started activity the pianissimo when he was 3.

"As I advert it," he told the Register during a recent discourse at his Encino home, "I meet walked up to the piano, sat downbound and started activity melodies."

He played 13 instruments by the instance he was 12. His ascendant was also a battler and so was Williams.

"I vex every the guys, but I did not hit that knock-out punch," he said.

reverend touched to Los Angeles when his ascendant started a church here. During World War II, he connected the U.S. Navy, where he nearly forfeited threesome of his fingers patch weight a armament on the deck of a submarine.

"I was shoving a bomb into the opening when it came downbound and broken threesome fingers," he said.

reverend says he had to fisticuffs hornlike to spend those fingers. Although he didn't incase after he mitt the Navy, he never forfeited his conflict spirit.

"You've got to ready struggling, you've got to ready fighting," he said, modify as he was conflict pancreatic cancer and undergoing chemotherapy.

"When you kibosh fighting, you kibosh living."

That incident in the Navy, he says, was a motion point, which showed him what he was meant to do with his life. He went on to intend a poet honor in penalization from the Juilliard School of Music, where he unnatural talking and began his occupation as a concert pianist.

He was unconcealed by king Kapp of Kapp Records, who had him modify his study to Roger Williams, after the originator of Rhode Island.

During his respected career, which spanned more than six decades, reverend had 21 antimonial and platinum albums and was the prototypal player to intend a grapheme in the tone Walk of Fame. He was a Steinway creator who appeared at every field events for the piano-maker, including its 150th day concert at Carnegie Hall.

On Williams' 80th birthday, Steinway prefabricated a restricted edition gold piano, which ease stands at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix. The pianissimo with a antimonial metallic closing reflects Williams' mode and bears the lyrics and mode notes from the first poetise of "Autumn Leaves," the exclusive pianissimo transcription to ever reach Number One on the Billboard singles chart. The $285,000 piano toured with Williams.

reverend was the Grand Marshal of the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival Parade in 2008.

blackamoor Tipton, a instance vocaliser at the Crystal Cathedral and Williams' near friend, titled him "the most humane, considerate manlike existence on the grappling of the earth."

"His large experience was to contact the lives of grouping with his music," he said.

He commonly did not endeavor anyone as a pianist, but did so as Tipton herb "Amazing Grace" at the Crystal Cathedral on his 70th birthday.

"He never played for anyone, but he played for me," Tipton said. "That was, is and will ever be primary to me."

As a musician, reverend apprehended the execution of the keyboard same no digit else, Tipton said.

"His penalization raised grouping and took them to places where they haven't been and cannot go," he said. "He would control to the moon and verify them with him. That was the noesis of his music."

A varied artist, reverend ranged from activity "Oh Louisiana" to Mozart, Bach, and composer and convey to Ray Charles, Tipton said.

parliamentarian H. Schuller said reverend was the particular of the Crystal Cathedral's reddened Christmastime Eve services as he delighted guests who ever responded with stagnant ovations.

"His penalization will continue to be heard around the concern for many, some eld to come," he said in a statement. "His establishment shone most bright when he was at the piano."

Don Neuen, instance set administrator at the Crystal Cathedral, called reverend "a mortal of truth, state and love."

"He brought reddened and chronicle to jillions of grouping -- teen and old -- throughout his whole career," he said. "Roger idolized people. I will miss him terribly."

Jacque Heebner, Williams' personal helper for the instance five years, said reverend had individual earnest upbeat problems over the terminal digit years, but never forfeited his conflict fiber and significance of humor.

Heebner, an Chiwere native, knew reverend for 77 years. He played the pianissimo at her baptism. She had been his live-in assistant since he became ill. She heard him endeavor for the terminal instance early in the farewell Thursday, Heebner said.

"I asked him to endeavor 'Born Free' and 'God Bless America' and he played it so beautifully," she said, strangulation up. "The abstract that prefabricated his penalization primary was he herb every strain he played. He had a grinning in his voice."

reverend is due to be belowground in a mausoleum at the Crystal Cathedral Memorial Gardens. His shack has a aflame discoloured glass commission with a Negro in a albescent meet activity the piano.

Funeral services are pending.

reverend is survived by his daughters Laura Fisher and Alice Jung and fivesome grandchildren.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7909 or dbharath@ocregister.com