Tony Butala of The Lettermen dies — Tony Butala, a founding voice of the harmony trio The Lettermen, has died at 87, the group’s media coordinator, Tracy Clark, confirmed to The Associated Press. The band announced his passing in an official statement, and no cause of death was given. Butala was the last surviving member of the lineup that first brought The Lettermen to national attention.
The group’s statement described him as an essential part of its history and extended condolences to his children, grandchildren, siblings, his partner and the wider Lettermen organization. A public viewing is not planned; the band said details of celebrations of life in Wisconsin and California would be shared later.
From child performer to founding Letterman
Butala was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, in 1938 and began singing professionally at just 7 years old. By 8 he was performing on KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh, and 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, Butala teamed with Jim Pike and Bob Engemann to form The Lettermen. The trio’s polished, layered vocals soon found a place on the pop charts, and their first hit came in 1961 with a rendition of “The Way You Look Tonight,” a song associated with Fred Astaire. The recording reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned a Grammy nomination in 1962, the same year the group was nominated for Best New Artist.
A decade of chart presence
Over the following ten years, The Lettermen placed 19 more songs on Billboard’s charts. Two of them entered the Top 10: “When I Fall in Love” in 1962 and a 1968 medley of “Goin’ Out of My Head” and “Can’t Take My Eyes off You,” which also received a Grammy nomination. The group’s final charting hit was “Everything is Good About You” in 1971.
Touring was a constant part of the group’s identity, with performances at colleges across the United States and at venues around the world. The Lettermen remained a trio through decades of lineup changes, a format that preserved their signature three-part sound. The current lineup consists of Donovan Tea, Bobby Poynton and Rob Gulack.
Recognition and later years
Butala stopped performing with the group in 2019, the same year that Pike died at 82 from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Engemann had died in 2013. In 2020, Butala and The Lettermen were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The band’s statement remembered Butala as someone who never met a stranger and whose life reflected talent, perseverance and refinement. It added that his greatest joy came from entertaining audiences and sharing his music with them around the world.
