Royal Armed Forces icon Dame Vera Lynn has died aged 103 on Thursday at her home in East Sussex.
The renowned World War II singer died surrounded by loved ones, a family statement read, adding: "The family are deeply saddened to announce the passing of one of Britain's best-loved entertainers at the age of 103".
UK prime minister Boris Johnson offered his condolences, tweeting that the singer's "magical voice entranced and uplifted our country in some of our darkest hours."
— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) June 18, 2020
— Captain Tom Moore (@captaintommoore) June 18, 2020
— Royal British Legion (@PoppyLegion) June 18, 2020— French Embassy UK (@FranceintheUK) June 18, 2020
French president Emmanuel Macron will meet with PM Johnson on Thursday to observe 80 years of the French Resistance against Nazism, where then-leader Charles de Gaulle broadcasted his 'Appel' message in London to Vichy France.
Dame Vera Lynn: The Legacy Of Britain's Armed Forces Sweetheart
Dame Vera Lynn was born in London in 1917, she was dubbed the Armed Forces 'Sweetheart' for her performances for troops stationed across the world, including Burma and India.
She was also the oldest artist to earn a top 40 album in the UK after her greatest hits album reached number 30 amid the 75th VE Day anniversary in May.
Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Dame Vera Lynn's best known song "We'll Meet Again" was performed in a moving 'virtual' duet with Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins OBE at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
The duet received critical praise and was the first closed-door performance at the Royal Albert Hall since the German Luftwaffe Blitz in 1940, Craig Hassell, Royal Albert Hall chair chief executive told Sputnik at the time.
Queen Elizabeth II referenced the song title in a recent speech to Britain, using the famed song title to raise spirits amid the coronavirus lockdown.
"We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again," the Queen said at the time.
