Lettermen Co-Founder Tony Butala Dies
The 87-year-old vocalist was the final surviving member of the group's original 1960s lineup.
By Chiara Saeed ·
Tony Butala, the child actor who co-founded the vocal trio The Lettermen, has died.
Butala was 87 and died on Sunday. The band’s media coordinator, Tracy Clark, confirmed the news to The Associated Press. She shared an official statement describing Butala as a founding member and a recipient of a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The statement noted that the group had lost an integral member of their family.
Born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, in 1938, Butala began a professional career before his teenage years. He started singing on KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh at age 8. By age 10, he had moved to Los Angeles with his mother. There, he joined the Mitchell Boys Choir and appeared in films including “White Christmas” and “Peter Pan.”
In the late 1950s, Butala formed The Lettermen with Jim Pike and Bob Engemann. The trio found commercial success in 1961 with a cover of “The Way You Look Tonight.” That track peaked at No. 13 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It earned a Grammy nomination in 1962. The group also received a best new artist nomination at that same ceremony.
Over the following decade, the band placed 19 additional songs on Billboard charts. Two tracks reached the Top 10. These included “When I Fall in Love” in 1962 and a medley of “Goin’ Out of My Head/Can’t Take My Eyes off You” in 1968. Their final chart hit was “Everything is Good About You” in 1971. The group maintained a touring schedule that included colleges in the United States and venues globally.
Butala was the last surviving member of the original trio. Pike died in 2019 from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Engemann died in 1913. The group has maintained its three-part sound by replacing departing members. The current lineup consists of Donovan Tea, Bobby Poynton, and Rob Gulack. Butala stopped performing in 2019. He and the band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2020.
No cause of death was provided. There will be no public viewing. The band will announce details for celebrations of life in Wisconsin and California at a later date. The official statement added that Butala’s true joy was entertaining and sharing his music with audiences worldwide.
Source: Orange County Register
