Tony Butala, Co-Founder of Vocal Trio The Lettermen, Dies at 87

Tony Butala, co-founder of the Grammy-nominated vocal group The Lettermen, died on Sunday at the age of 87. The band's media coordinator, Tracy Clark, confirmed his death and shared an official statement from the group. The cause of death was not released.

Life and Career

Born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, in 1938, Butala began singing professionally at age 7 and sang on KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh at age 8. By age 10, he moved to Los Angeles with his mother, joining the Mitchell Boys Choir and appearing in films like "White Christmas," "Peter Pan," "War of the Worlds," and "On Moonlight Bay." In the late 1950s, he co-founded The Lettermen with Jim Pike and Bob Engemann. Their version of Fred Astaire's "The Way You Look Tonight" became their first hit in 1961, peaking at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning a Grammy nomination in 1962 alongside a best new artist nomination.

Legacy

Over the next decade, the group placed 19 more songs on Billboard charts, including Top 10 hits like 1962's "When I Fall in Love" and the 1968 medley "Goin' Out of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes off You." Their final hit arrived in 1971 with "Everything is Good About You." Butala was the last surviving member of the original trio, as Pike died in 2019 at age 82 from Parkinson's disease complications and Engemann died in 2013. Butala stepped away from performing in 2019, and the group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2020. There will be no public viewing, and celebration of life details for Wisconsin and California will be announced later.

Context

Vocal groups of the mid-20th century often relied on tight, multi-part harmonies to build a signature sound that could appeal to broad audiences across radio and live concert tours. The Lettermen maintained this format by continuously replacing departing members to keep their traditional three-part style alive across generations.