Honolulu – Legendary crooner Don Ho, who entertained tourists for decades wearing raspberry-tinted sunglasses and singing the catchy signature tune “Tiny Bubbles,” has died. He was 76.
He died Saturday morning of heart failure, publicist Donna Jung said.
Ho had suffered from heart problems for the past several years and had a pacemaker installed last fall. In 2005, he underwent an experimental stem-cell procedure on his ailing heart in Thailand.
Ho entertained Hollywood’s biggest stars and thousands of tourists for four decades. For many, no trip to Hawaii was complete without seeing his Waikiki show – a mix of songs, jokes, double entendres, Hawaii history and audience participation.
Shows usually started and ended with the same song, “Tiny Bubbles.” Ho mostly hummed as the audience enthusiastically took over the song’s swaying lyrics: “Tiny bubbles/in the wine/make me happy/make me feel fine.”
“I hate that song,” he often joked to the crowd. He said he performed it twice because “people my age can’t remember if we did it or not.”
The son of bar owners, Ho broke into the Waikiki entertainment scene in the early 1960s and, except for short periods, never left.
Stars such as Lucille Ball, Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra were known to be in the audience for Ho’s shows.
Ho also became a TV star and hosted “The Don Ho Show” on ABC in 1976-77. One of his most memorable TV appearances was a 1972 cameo on an episode of “The Brady Bunch.”
Besides “Tiny Bubbles,” his other well-known songs include “I’ll Remember You,” “With All My Love” and “Hawaiian Wedding Song.”
