Roger Williams, a player who was digit of the most favourite instrumentalists of the mid-20th century and who impact No. 1 on the imbibe charts in 1955 with his arpeggio-strewn "Autumn Leaves," has died. He was 87.

Williams died Sat at his Los Angeles bag of complications from pancreatic cancer, his past publicist, Rob Wilcox, told the Associated Press.

"The large abstract I impact to offer," reverend told Time entrepot in 1968, "is emotion. I conceive I endeavor with more opinion than some another imbibe pianist."

He was the thin device imbibe creator to accomplish a daylong advertizement chord. Between 1955 and 1972, reverend had 22 impact singles — including "Born Free" in 1966 — and 38 impact albums, according to the All Music cyberspace database.

"Autumn Leaves" was the most flourishing strain of Williams' career, and the prototypal No.1 device strain on the Billboard charts of the sway era, according to "The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits."

After reverend was subscribed to Kapp Records in the primeval 1950s, adjudge chair Dave Kapp asked reverend on a weekday if he would same to achievement "Autumn Leaves" the mass Monday.

"I said, 'You stingy 'Falling Leaves'? I didn't modify undergo the title," reverend told The Times in 1996. "I stayed up weekday and then Sat period employed on an arrangement."

"The prototypal abstract that came to nous was to endeavor every those runs downbound the keyboard," reverend said in an primeval Times interview. "I proven to attain it good same dropping leaves."

The prototypal transcription run-through ran slightly over threesome minutes, so Kapp asked him to pace it up because round jockeys at the instance wouldn't endeavor a strain individual than that length, reverend ofttimes said.

The ordinal instance around, "Autumn Leaves" came in at 2:59.

"I unpaid digit months' lease on our apartment," reverend said in the 1996 Times interview. "I had a spouse and a child at the time. My fondest imagine for 'Autumn Leaves' was that it would clear the rent. And boy, it's been doing it ever since."

The tunes he played were so old "they nearly endeavor themselves," the New royalty Times said in a 1972 analyse of a action that included "On a Clear Day," "Hello Dolly" and "The Impossible Dream."

If dissected, Williams' move could seem "trite and oversimplified," the analyse said. "There is a additive command to the unembellished naivety and naturalness of his action that crapper yet get over modify the most distrustful listener."

The son of a adherent minister, he was dropped gladiator Weertz on Oct. 1, 1924, in Dhegiha and grew up in Des Moines.

At 3, he toddled toward the pianissimo and meet started playing, reverend ofttimes recalled.

While majoring in pianissimo at Iowa's admiral University, he began nonindustrial a call that was a seeing of jazz, Hellenic and pop.

When a edifice authorised overheard him activity the exhibit set "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," he was expelled because the edifice had a "classics only" policy, reverend after said.

So he connected the Navy during World War II and won the middleweight enclosing title at his base, in Idaho, the Los Angeles Times reportable in 1959.

In the Navy, he matured an aptitude for field and attained a bachelor's honor in the person in 1949 at Idaho State University. He followed it with a master's in penalization in 1950 at Drake.

While registered at the Juilliard School in New York, he won "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts" on broadcasting activity a harmonious composing of "I Got Rhythm."

Kapp insisted that the player "have a study that would defence up anywhere" and denaturized it to Roger reverend after the originator of Rhode Island.

Williams' Top 10 albums allow "Songs of the Fabulous Fifties" (1957), "Till" (1958), "Maria" (1962) and "Born Free" (1966).

In the primeval 1970s, his popularity colourless but he went on to achievement more than 100 albums and performed in concert as fresh as March. He claimed to undergo 10,000 songs by heart, ofttimes fielding requests, and was daylong featured at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove.

He played for nine U.S. presidents, endeavor with Harry S. Truman, who requested composer and Ravel. President then played his possess edition of the pianist waltz, reverend told the besieging Journal Constitution in 2004.

Williams had threesome children with his prototypal spouse but after "one journeying likewise many" the pair divorced, he after said.

After he mated Louise De Carlo in 1985, they serviceable houses crossways the street from apiece another in Encino, an peculiarity night-owl reverend attributed to inconsistent schedules. They yet divorced.

Of his talent, reverend said in 2007 in the Allentown, Pa., Morning Call: "I undergo I was presented a gift, and erst in a patch I go to faith and say, 'Hey, thanks.' I endeavor my belief finished my fingers."

valerie.nelson@latimes.com