Bing Crosby "never got tired" of singing 'White Christmas'.
The late music star - who died in 1977 at the age of 74 - released what became the highest-selling single ever in 1954 and after his family released 'Bing Crosby’s Christmas Gems', his son Harry, 65, has explained how his dad always "understood" what the festive classic meant to people.
He told Fox News Digital: "I’m very excited – the whole family’s excited. I can’t believe we’re coming up close to 50 years since dad passed… We wanted to share a part of dad during Christmas, and also share a part of him that many people may not know about.
"Dad never got tired of singing 'White Christmas'. That song had so many meanings for so many. Dad understood the power of that song and the impact it had on people, especially those who were away [during the war]. It also put him on a platform that he never expected. It surprised him in a good way. And he loved it. He loved the purity of the song and how it continued to touch lives. It kept him humble."
Harry - whose mother Henrietta Grew died in 1957 - went on to add that he never saw his dad for being the world-famous singer he was and rather as a man who was devoted to his family.
He said: "I didn’t see him as this magnificent singer. I saw a man who was a father, a man who was very much in love with my mother.
"They had a great marriage and relationship. We did a lot as a family. I was very blessed to also have the opportunity to work with him, not just during the Christmas season for his shows, but throughout the year. As a young adult, I traveled with him. He became a colleague and a partner. So we had a special relationship… He was proud of his children, proud of his wife and proud of his success."