Gospel soloist Shea dies at 104

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – George Beverly Shea, the booming baritone who sang to millions of Christians at evangelist Billy Graham’s crusades, died Tuesday after a brief illness. He was 104.

Spokesman Brent Rinehart of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association said Shea died in Asheville after a brief illness.

Shea was well-known as a gospel soloist before he and Graham met in the early 1940s. He joined Graham’s crusade team in 1947 and stayed until Graham’s declining health ended most of the evangelist’s public appearances nearly 60 years later.

Besides his distinctive voice, Shea was known for his trademark rendition of “How Great Thou Art” and his inspirational “The Wonder of It All.” He performed live before an estimated 200 million at crusades over the years and recorded more than 70 albums.

Shea received 10 Grammy nominations, a Grammy Award in 1965 and a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Grammy organization in 2011. He was also a member of the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Religious Broadcasting Hall of Fame in February 1996. Shea was also inducted into the inaugural class of the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists’ “Hall of Faith” in 2008.