Singer Bobby Vee Recalled as ‘Ambassador of Joy’ at Funeral

COLLEGEVILLE -- Pop singer Bobby Vee was remembered as an "ambassador of joy" at his funeral in Collegeville.

Hundreds of mourners said goodbye Wednesday to Vee at St. John's Abbey Church in Collegeville. Vee was 73 when he died last week of advanced Alzheimer's disease.

An instrumental version of Vee's Number-One hit "Take Good Care of My Baby" filled the church.

Born Robert Velline in Fargo, North Dakota, Vee was 15 when he filled in at a Moorhead concert after the 1959 plane crash that killed rock 'n' roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. Vee went on to have such hits as "Rubber Ball" and "Run to Him."

Vee retired from performing in 2011 after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's.