Dorothy Squires; Wrote ‘Tammy Tell Me True’

Dorothy Squires, 83, popular singer in the 1940s and 1950s. The Welsh-born Edna May Squires began her career in London in 1938 with bandleader Billy Reid and remained with him until 1951. Their first major hit was “The Gypsy” in 1945. Her other hits included “I’m Walking Behind You,” “It’s a Pity to Say Goodnight” and “Tammy Tell Me True,” which she wrote. In 1953, Squires married British actor Roger Moore, who at 25 was 13 years her junior. He later became famous for “The Saint” television series and several James Bond movies. Despite a bitter divorce in 1968, they remained close, and he called and sent flowers during her final illness. With wealth she made from real estate investments, the rather eccentric Squires often paid to sing--including spending $55,000 to perform concerts in 1972 at New York’s Carnegie Hall and the Los Angeles County Music Center. Although she drew sellout crowds in such theaters as London’s Palladium and sold millions of records, Squires ended up penniless. On Tuesday in Llwynypia, Wales, of cancer.