ROLLING HILLS ESTATES, Calif. (AP) - Myron Floren, a maestro accordion player who entertained generations of TV viewers on "The Lawrence Welk Show," died Saturday at the age of 85.
Floren died of cancer at his Rolling Hills Estates home in Los Angeles County, his daughter Randee Floren said.
A consummate musician versed in everything from polka to Bach, he joined Lawrence Welk's band in 1950 and stayed on until the television show ended in 1982.
The orchestra, which also included saxophonist Dick Dale and singer Jim Roberts, was famous for bouncing, effervescent dance music that Welk began playing as a young man in his native North Dakota.
More recently, Floren performed at music festivals around the country and frequently appeared at the Lawrence Welk Resort and Champagne Theater in Branson, Mo.
Parody singer "Weird Al" Yankovic, who also plays the accordion, has called Floren an inspiration in his youth.
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