Gloria Shayne Baker Dies

Gloria Shayne Baker, who co-wrote the modern-day classic Christmas carol "Do You Hear What I Hear?" with her then-husband Noel Regney, has died. She was 84.

Baker died March 6 at her home in Stamford, Conn., of lung cancer that had metastasized, her daughter, Gabrielle Regney, said.

A pianist whose forte was popular music, Baker usually wrote the lyrics and Regney composed the music for their collaborations. But the roles were reversed for the Christmas tune they wrote in October 1962 during the Cuban missile crisis, when the U.S. and Soviet Union were locked in a confrontation over the Soviets' placement of ballistic missiles in Cuba.

Inspired by the sight of infants in strollers on the streets of New York City, Regney opened the song with the words, "Said the night wind to the little lamb, 'Do you see what I see?' " and included the line, "Pray for peace, people everywhere."

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In addition to her daughter, Baker is survived by son Paul Regney, a grandson, four stepchildren, 10 step-grandchildren, a brother and two sisters.

Rest In Peace, Gloria.