NEW YORK (AP) — Tony Butala, co-founder of the Grammy nominated trio The Lettermen, whose lush vocal harmonies made them one of the most popular vocal groups of the 1960s, died Sunday. He was 87 years old.
The group’s media coordinator, Tracy Clark, confirmed Butala’s death to the Associated Press. She shared an official statement from the group.
“We have lost a valuable member of the Lettermen family,” it read. “It is with deep sadness that we announce the recent passing of Tony Butala, founding member of The Lettermen International Artists and recipient of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Our most sincere thoughts and prayers are with his children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters, the love of his life, the entire Lettermen organization and all those who knew and loved him.”
The cause of death was not provided.
There will be no public screening. Details of celebrations of life held in Wisconsin and California will be announced at a later date.
Born in Sharon, Pennsylvania in 1938, Butala’s career began as a child. He began singing professionally at age 7, on KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh at age 8, and at age 10 he moved with his mother to Los Angeles, where he joined the Mitchell Boys Choir and appeared in classic films like “White Christmas,” “Peter Pan,” “War of the Worlds” and “On Moonlight Bay.”
In the late 1950s, Butala co-founded The Lettermen alongside Jim Pike and Bob Engemann. The hits quickly followed: they had their first with their version of Fred Astaire “The Way You Look Tonight” in 1961, which peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. He was nominated for a Grammy in 1962. At that awards show, they also received the coveted Best New Artist nomination.
Over the next decade, The Lettermen would place 19 additional songs on the Billboard charts.
Two of them made the Top 10, 1962’s “When I Fall in Love” and the 1968 Grammy-nominated medley “Goin’ Out of My Head/Can’t Take My Eyes off You.” Their last hit was “Everything is Good About You” in 1971.
The beloved band toured constantly, playing universities across the country and venues around the world.
Butala was the last surviving member of the trio’s original lineup: Pike died in 2019 at age 82. The cause was complications of Parkinson’s disease. Engemann died in 2013.
Over its many decades, The Lettermen have had various lineups, replacing members who left but always remaining a trio to keep their distinctive three-part sound alive. The current lineup is made up of Donovan Tea, Bobby Poynton and Rob Gulack.
Butala retired from performing in 2019. And in 2020, Butala and The Lettermen received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“Tony has never met a stranger,” the band’s official statement continued. “His life was a living example of talent, perseverance and refinement. But above all, his true joy was in entertaining and sharing his music with audiences around the world.”
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