Iris Williams

Iris Williams was born on 20 April 1946 in Rhydyfelin, near Pontypridd, South Wales, to a Welsh mother and an African-American father. Her early life was difficult: she was brought up in a children's home in Tonyrefail before being adopted by the Llewellyn family, and she won her first talent contest at the age of seven. After leaving school she worked in a factory before winning a scholarship to the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff, where she trained properly as a singer for the first time.

Williams built a substantial career on both sides of the Atlantic. In Wales she had major success in 1971 with "Pererin Wyf", a Welsh-language version of "Amazing Grace", and won the Cân i Gymru (Song for Wales) contest in 1974. She broke into the UK charts in 1979 with "He Was Beautiful (Cavatina)", the theme from The Deer Hunter with lyrics by Cleo Laine, which reached the Top 20. Her career also took her to the United States, where she performed for President Gerald Ford on several occasions, and she sang for Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Williams was appointed OBE for her services to music and was admitted to the Gorsedd of Bards at the National Eisteddfod in 2006, one of Welsh culture's highest honours. She died on 11 July 2025 at the age of 79, remembered as one of Wales's most accomplished and versatile singers of the 20th century.