Tony Butala, a co-founder of the Grammy-nominated vocal trio The Lettermen, has died at 87. The group announced his death on Sunday, and its media coordinator, Tracy Clark, confirmed the news to The Associated Press.
No cause of death was provided. The group said there will be no public viewing, and that details of celebrations of life in Wisconsin and California will be announced later.
Butala co-founded The Lettermen in the late 1950s alongside Jim Pike and Bob Engemann. Their close vocal harmonies made them one of the most popular vocal groups of the 1960s, with “The Way You Look Tonight” among their signature songs.
Butala was the last surviving member of the trio’s original lineup. Engemann died in 2013, and Pike died in 2019 at age 82.
Born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, in 1938, Butala began singing as a child. He stayed with The Lettermen for decades, and the group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The current lineup continues to perform.
Source: Associated Press
