Como died in his sleep at his home in Jupiter Inlet Beach Colony, his daughter Terry Thibadeau said. Some sources listed Como's age as 88; others said he was 87.
"We spent two beautiful hours (Friday) with dad, me and my grandson, Holden," Thibadeau told The Palm Beach Post. "We shared ice cream. It was a wonderful moment for us."
The charming Italian-American whose name became synonymous with mellow performed through seven decades, starting in the 1930s. His idol, the late singer Bing Crosby, once called Como "the man who invented casual."
Como left his job as a steel town barber to sing with big bands in the 1930s and his songs were a mainstay of radio and jukeboxes in the late 1940s. He helped pioneer variety shows on the new medium of television in the 1950s and performed on television specials over the last four decades. His music remained popular in recent years on easy-listening radio.
In 1945, Como had his first million-selling hit, "Till the End of Time." It was among many songs including "Prisoner of Love" that topped the charts. He competed with Frank Sinatra and Crosby to be the era's top crooner.
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