William Austin  “Autie” Goodman passed away peacefully in his sleep Dec. 20 in Las Vegas, Nev.

Autie was born in Burns in 1925. When he was about 12 years old, he heard world-renowned Artie Shaw play the clarinet and told his dad that’s what he wanted to do. He got his first clarinet in the mail, took some lessons, and his interest in music just continued from there.

After serving time in the military, he moved to Portland, got married, and lived in Phoenix, Ariz., for a short time before relocating to Las Vegas, where his professional musical career took off. In the 1960s, Autie was with a group called The Modernaires. He later joined a band working at the former Hacienda Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas before being invited to join The Four Freshman in 1977. Autie performed with them for 15 years. His career with The Four Freshmen took him all around the world, including stops in about 20 different countries and every state in the union.

Autie lived in Las Vegas for almost 40 years before moving to Pahrump, Nev., in 1999 after he retired.

Autie is survived by his wife of 67 years, Mildred; and three children, sons, Terry and Kris, and daughter, Jill.