Tony Butala, co-founder of The Lettermen and the group’s last surviving original member, has died at 87. A representative confirmed that he died Sunday, Nov. 1. No cause of death was reported.
The group announced his passing in a statement Tuesday, describing Butala as an integral member of its family and recalling his LOVE of performing and sharing music with audiences. Butala was also a recipient of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
With fellow founding members Bob Engemann and Jim Pike, Butala formed The Lettermen as a trio in 1958. The group scored its first Billboard Hot 100 hit in 1961 with “The Way You Look Tonight.” Its recordings of “When I Fall in Love,” “Goin’ Out of My Head/Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and “Hurt So Bad” also became among its best-known releases.
The Lettermen placed 20 songs on the Hot 100, including six in the top 20. “When I Fall in Love” and “Goin’ Out of My Head/Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” each reached No. 7, while “Hurt So Bad” peaked at No. 12 and spent 21 weeks on the chart. The group received four Grammy nominations, including a best new artist nod in 1962.
Born in 1938 in Sharon, Pennsylvania, Butala began singing as a child and had a radio job with Pittsburgh station KDKA at age seven. After moving to Los Angeles with his mother, he sang with the Mitchell Boys Choir and appeared in films including “White Christmas” and “Peter Pan.”
Butala stepped back from performing in 2019. The Lettermen continue with vocalists Donovan Tea, Bobby Poynton and Rob Gulack. The group received its Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2020, after the deaths of Engemann in 2013 and Pike in 2019.
No public viewing is planned. Celebrations of life are expected to take place in Wisconsin and California at a later date.
Sources: Billboard.