Young@Heart mourns the loss of Andy Walsh who died peacefully in his home on Sunday, November 29th, at the age of 92.
Andy came to the group in 2009 suggesting he might play a little violin which is what he played in the Quincy Symphony Orchestra for 27 years. It didn’t take us very long to discover that Andy was one of the most naturally gifted lead singer/performers to ever join the group. He loved all the challenges we would throw his way and always wildly surpassed our expectations.
Audiences enthusiastically received his unique interpretations of Screamin' Jay Hawkins “I Put a Spell on You”, “Miss You” by the Rolling Stones, "Let’s Go Crazy" by Prince, "Dirty Water" by The Standells, and so many others. Even in his last weeks Andy was working on another song for our new show.
In 2018 when we toured Holland and Belgium we knew we wouldn’t be able to bring Andy. We filmed him at our local public access station doing the song “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell. Amazingly Andy did it perfectly in a single take. Projected on to the big screen, he stole the show on that European tour. He was magical.
Beyond his artistic ability, Andy had a charm and magnetism that drew all of us to him. He was simply one of a kind and the chorus will be guided for years to come by his unflinching humanity that shined through in all of his performances.
His wife of 67 years, Patricia died this past January. We extend our deepest condolences to his children and their families and thank them all for allowing us to share some remarkable time with Andy.
Here is a compilation of some of Andy's greatest performances, along with a recent interview, which aired in our most recent October 3rd virtual concert.