Don Ho, who serenaded tourists in his native Hawaii for decades, is dead at age 76. His publicist Donna Jung says he died April 14 of heart failure. He had suffered heart problems for several years, and in 2005 underwent an experimental stem cell procedure in Thailand.
Born in Honolulu, Donald Tai Loy Ho was of Hawaiian, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, and German ancestry. The son of bar owners, he became an entertainer in the Waikiki area in the 1960s and, except for brief periods, never left. He became widely known for his signature song, "Tiny Bubbles."
Don Ho attracted such celebrities as Lucille Ball, Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra, and hosted his own televised variety show in 1976-77.
Speaking in a 2004 interview, he said "I've had too much fun all these years. I feel real guilty about it."
Don Ho is survived by his wife Haumea and 10 children, including his daughter Hoku, herself a recording artist who sometimes performed with her father.
