Don Ho, the legendary Hawaiian icon has died of a heart attach at age 76. Donald Tai Loy Ho, who was Hawaiian, Chinese,
Troubled by heart problems for a few years, he had a pacemaker implanted last fall. In 2005 he underwent an experimental stem cell operation in Thailand. Though maintaining a paired down schedule in recent years, Ho’s last performance was on Thursday.
Like a huge percentage of visitors to the big island, I visited his club in Honolulu one time in the ’70s and had a delightful time. Ho had a remarkable gift for responding to whatever the particular evening spontaneously delivered and that night it was Glen Campbell who with Don’s gentle coaxing, got up from his table, strapped on a guitar, and sang several tunes including his then-recent hit, ”Rhinestone Cowboy.”