{"id":39159,"date":"2026-11-05T16:52:44","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T11:52:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pni.net.pk\/us\/?p=39159"},"modified":"2026-11-05T17:03:15","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T12:03:15","slug":"founding-voice-of-the-lettermens-the-way-you-look-tonight-dies-at-87","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pni.net.pk\/us\/founding-voice-of-the-lettermens-the-way-you-look-tonight-dies-at-87\/","title":{"rendered":"Founding Voice of The Lettermen\u2019s \u2018The Way You Look Tonight,\u2019 Dies at 87"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tony Butala, Founding Voice of The Lettermen\u2019s \u2018The Way You Look Tonight,\u2019 Dies at 87<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tony Butala, the founding member of The Lettermen whose romantic harmonies helped bring \u201cThe Way You Look Tonight\u201d to a new generation of listeners, has died at 87.<\/p>\n

Butala died on Sunday, November 1, 2026. The group\u2019s media coordinator, Tracy Clark, confirmed his death to The Associated Press. A cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.<\/p>\n

His manager, David Haskell, told USA TODAY that Butala died peacefully in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, surrounded by loved ones, after experiencing several health problems in recent years.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe lived to bring people joy,\u201d Haskell said, remembering a performer who valued conversations with fans and made time to connect with people wherever he went.<\/p>\n

Butala\u2019s musical journey began long before national recognition. Raised in Sharon, Pennsylvania, he started singing professionally at seven and performed on Pittsburgh\u2019s KDKA Radio by eight. After moving to Hollywood, he joined the Mitchell Boys Choir, contributing to productions including White Christmas<\/em>, Peter Pan<\/em> and On Moonlight Bay<\/em>.<\/p>\n

He went on to establish The Lettermen alongside Jim Pike and Bob Engemann. Their breakthrough arrived in 1961 with \u201cThe Way You Look Tonight,\u201d which reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.<\/p>\n

The trio followed that success with recordings including \u201cWhen I Fall in Love\u201d and the medley \u201cGoin\u2019 Out of My Head\/Can\u2019t Take My Eyes Off You.\u201d Both reached No. 7, helping establish the group as a familiar presence on American pop radio.<\/p>\n

The Lettermen\u2019s appeal rested on their carefully blended three-part harmonies. Their official tribute credited Butala with guiding that sound across generations, combining the group\u2019s early favorites with newer material. The group earned four Grammy nominations during its career.<\/p>\n

Butala stepped away from regular performing in May 2019, having helped prepare the ensemble to continue under new leadership.<\/p>\n

He was the last surviving member of the original trio. In 2020, The Lettermen received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, recognizing their enduring contribution to popular music.<\/p>\n

Butala is survived by four children, five grandchildren and his partner, Sue Shimek-Kuche, according to USA TODAY.<\/p>\n

In accordance with his wishes, there will be no public viewing. Celebrations of his life are planned in Wisconsin and California, with details to be announced. Those wishing to honor his memory have been invited to donate to the Lakeshore Humane Society in Manitowoc.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tony Butala, Founding Voice of The Lettermen\u2019s \u2018The Way You Look Tonight,\u2019 Dies at 87 Tony Butala, the founding member of The Lettermen whose romantic harmonies helped bring \u201cThe Way You Look Tonight\u201d to a new generation of listeners, has died at 87. Butala died on Sunday, November 1, 2026. The group\u2019s media coordinator, Tracy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39160,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-memorial"],"yoast_head":"\nFounding Voice of The Lettermen\u2019s \u2018The Way You Look Tonight,\u2019 Dies at 87<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Tony Butala, Founding Voice of The Lettermen\u2019s \u2018The Way You Look Tonight,\u2019 Dies at 87 Tony Butala, the founding member of The Lettermen whose romantic\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pni.net.pk\/us\/founding-voice-of-the-lettermens-the-way-you-look-tonight-dies-at-87\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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