Tony Butala, Lettermen Co-Founder Behind 'The Way You Look Tonight,' Dies at 87

Tony Butala, co-founder of the harmony trio The Lettermen, died Sunday, Nov. 1, at age 87. He was the last surviving member of the group's original lineup.

Butala died in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, after battling several health issues in recent years, the group's manager, David Haskell, told USA Today. Haskell said Butala died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones. The band has not disclosed a cause of death.

Tracy Clark, the band's media coordinator, confirmed the death to The Associated Press and shared a statement from the group. "We have lost an integral member of The Lettermen family," it read.

A career that started at seven

Butala was born in 1938 in Sharon, Pennsylvania. He began singing professionally at 7 and was on KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh by 8.

At 10, he moved with his mother to Los Angeles. There he joined the Mitchell Boys Choir and appeared in films including "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. USA Today puts the founding at 1959.

The hits

Their first chart entry came in 1961 with a cover of "The Way You Look Tonight," the Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields standard Fred Astaire introduced in the film "Swing Time." It peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned a Grammy nomination.

The group landed 20 songs on the Hot 100 in all, according to Billboard. Six reached the top 20:

• "The Way You Look Tonight" (No. 13, 1961)
• "When I Fall in Love" (No. 7, peaking in 1962)
• "Come Back Silly Girl" (No. 17, 1962)
• "Theme From a Summer Place" (No. 16, 1965)
• "Goin' Out of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (No. 7, peaking in 1968)
• "Hurt So Bad" (No. 12, 1969)

"Hurt So Bad" spent 21 weeks on the chart, the group's longest run. Their last hit was "Everything Is Good About You" in 1971.

The Lettermen were nominated for four Grammys. One was best new artist at the 1962 ceremony. Another was for the 1968 medley, a pairing of two of the most-covered songs of that decade.

Six decades on the road

Butala stayed with the group for more than 60 years. The Lettermen toured constantly, playing college campuses across the country and venues overseas.

He retired from performing in 2019. Pike died the same year of complications from Parkinson's disease. Engemann died in 2013.

In 2020, with Butala in attendance, the group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The ceremony was held Feb. 24 of that year.

The group did not fold when the original members left. The Lettermen have used various lineups over the decades, replacing departing members but always staying a trio to keep the three-part sound. The current members are Donovan Tea, Bobby Poynton and Rob Gulack.

Remembered by the people who worked with him

Haskell, a friend of Butala's for about 50 years, described a performer who treated fans as people rather than a crowd. "He lived to be on stage," Haskell told USA Today. "He lived to bring people joy. He never met a person he didn't like. It could've been the janitor and he's going to strike up a conversation because he felt that people needed that."

Haskell said Butala made a point of greeting audience members personally before or after shows, and never charged for it. "Those people support you and if you can give them a little piece of yourself then go for it," he said.

The band's own statement echoed that. "Tony never met a stranger," it said. "His life was a living example of talent, perseverance, and refinement. But above all, his true joy was entertaining and sharing his music with audiences worldwide."

The group said that although his performing days were over, Butala was "instrumental in laying the groundwork for The Lettermen's legacy to continue under skilled leadership." It closed its tribute with the lyrics of his final public solo, the standard "Smile."

The Lettermen were on stage in Las Vegas on Nov. 1, the day Butala died. They displayed a memorial tribute at the end of the show, and Haskell said some audience members did not yet know he had died.

"What he wanted is continuing," Haskell said.

What comes next

There will be no public viewing. Celebrations of life in both Wisconsin and California will be announced at a later date, according to the band's statement.

The Lettermen continue to tour in the United States and abroad.