Don Ho died Saturday of heart problems at 76.
I made a special point of seeing his show in Waikiki several years ago, because he was getting on in age and I wanted to see him perform while he was still able to do so.
I enjoyed myself, although I got the impression that he was a jaded performer doing a parody of his lounge act after so many shows and years. I don’t remember him getting off his stool during the entire show.
Half the show was actually performed by young hula dancing girls (common in Hawaiian shows) and a young male guitar/singer protege. Many in the audience were repeat guests from over the decades.
I didn’t realize that he was a star football player, sociology graduate, and Air Force pilot in WW2.
Apparently he got into singing to bring in patrons to his father’s bar.
cnn.com: Don Ho, Hawaiian ‘Tiny Bubbles’ crooner, dies
cnn.com: Sunset memorial for singer Don Ho draws thousands