Don Ho

At 76 years old, Don Ho has this physical status:

Donald Tai Loy Ho (August 13, 1930-2007) was an American traditional pop musician, guitarist, and entertainer.

He is best known for his song "Tiny Bubbles" from the album of the same name.

Personal life

Ho married twice and had ten children by three women.

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Life and career

Ho was a singer of Native Hawaiian, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, and German descent. He was born in the tiny Honolulu neighborhood of Kakasako to Emily (Honey) Leimaile Silva and James Ah You Puao Ho, but he grew up in Kne, on the windward side of the island of Oahu. He was a 1949 graduate of the Kamehameha Schools and spent a football scholarship at Springfield College but then went back to study a bachelor's degree in sociology at the University of Hawai'i in 1953. Ho started his primary education at Columbus AFB, Mississippi, and spent time with the Military Air Transport Service in 1954. "It's when it all started" in Travis AFB, California.

On November 22, 1951, Don married Melva May Kolokea Wong, his high school sweetheart. She was the mother of his first six children. They were married for 48 years before Melva's death on June 8, 1999. Ho moved from state to state with his young family until he was called home to assist his mother with the family bar business, Honey's.

In 1959, Hobert left the United States Air Force due to his mother's illness and started performing at her Kaneohe club. Honey's became a hotspot for local entertainment and servicemen from Kaneohe Marine Base. Ho always respect the military for his years of military service. He moved the Kne Honey's to Waik'k in 1963. Promoter Kimo Wilder McVay wanted Don to play at Duke's owned by Duke Kahanamoku, where he caught the attention of record company executives.

Ho was first signed to Reprise Records. In 1965, Ho's debut album, The Don Ho Show!, debuted in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, and New York City. In 1966, he recorded Don Ho – Again!, a live compilation, which charted in the early part of the year. In the fall of 1966, Ho released his most popular song, "Tiny Bubbles," which charted on both pop (#57 Billboard) and easy listening charts, as well as his subsequent album, "Tiny Bubbles," which remained in the Top 200 for almost a year. "Pearly Shells" was another song associated with Don. Don's support group spanned 1964 to 1969, the Aliis: Al Akana, Rudy Aquino, Benny Chong, Manny Lagodlagod, and Joe Mundo were among Don's support groups.

Ho would make jokes about being sent in the mid-1950s to Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, and being Hawaiian in his stage show. Don Ho enjoyed seeing the hands of veterans of World War II. He will insist that all the Pearl Harbor survivors stand. "You got your glory in the movies," the men from the European Theater would tell them. On stage, the veterans of the Pacific Theater were able to join the hula dancers.

Ho's music was based on 1960s pop arrangements, which included light instrumentation and Hammond organs. Due to cheap air travel and the increasing success of Tiki bars, he was able to cash in on the newly confirmed state's increasing success as a tourist destination over the decade. In comparison to regular tourists, celebrities will attend his performances.

A growing movement in Hawaii emerged in the second half of the decade to produce more traditional styles of music that subtly accused Ho of being overcommercialized and targeted to visitors. His fame never really waned, though his shows remained popular with holidayers.

I Dream of Jeannie, The Brady Bunch, Sanford and Son, Batman, Charlie's Angels, McCloud, and Fantasy Island followed, with guest appearances on television series including I Dream of Jeannie, I Dream of Jeannie, Jeannie, The Brady Bunch, Sanford and Son, and Son. Despite the fact that his album sales hit a high in the late 1960s, he was able to land a television series on ABC from October 1976 to March 1977 with the Don Ho Show variety show, which aired on weekday mornings.

Ho had ten children, six with his wife and four more from two separate marriages. His children worked with him on stage, backstage, or with his company. He loved to work with his children, teaching them how to be a success. Hoku's daughter appeared in his Waik show and went on to become a nationally known recording artist in her own right in 2000. He performed a song that was used as the opening theme to Aloha, Scooby-Doo! in 2005.

Ho lived at his Diamond Head home, raising his young children with their mothers. Ho suffered a mild stroke at the age of 65 in 1995 and his health began to decline slowly. He had an enlarged heart, unrelated to coronary artery disease, by 2002, leaving him with only 30% of normal cardiac capacity. Despite his poor health, Ho was always hopeful and resilient in finding a solution to his health problems. He also performed at nightly shows, making only a few compromises, such as selling in his bottle of Scotch that he kept on top of his piano at shows for pineapple juice.

In 2005, Ho was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and had a pacemaker implanted. After a concert, Hosie suffered with a variety of issues, including an episode where his pacemaker malfunctioned. On another occasion, he was doing maintenance to his house's roof when his heart suddenly began racing. He called a biotechnology firm that specializes in heart disease with adult stem cells. Dr. Shoa, cardiac surgeon and a pioneer of the use of adult stem cells for heart disease. Amit Patel and his fellow doctors in Thailand transplanted his own blood-derived stem cells into his heart on December 6, 2005. The treatment went without incident, and it was announced that his heart would be boosted back to 75% capacity. "I'm feeling much better and I'm so glad I came up here to do it," Ho said later this month. "I'd been going around for years behaving like I was 40," he explained in regards to his health. Then, when all this happened, someone told me, "You're 75." Everyone gets old.

Why did I think I was exempt?"

Ho married Haumea Hebenstreit, who served as a production assistant for his show at Waik' Beachcomber in September 2006. Ho went into cardiac arrest a few days later. Despite having a new pacemaker installed on September 16, 2006, he died in his Waik apartment from heart disease on April 14, 2007. He was cremated, and his remains were scattered at sea.

Since Ho's death, his estate has been in limbo due to numerous leadership conflicts and legislative changes that occurred while he was dealing with his mental and physical health.

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