Departures of note

Tony Butala was an American singer best known as a founding member of The Lettermen, the Grammy-nominated vocal trio whose lush three-part harmonies made them one of the most popular vocal groups of the 1960s. Born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, in 1938, he began singing professionally as a child, appearing on KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh at age eight and later joining the Mitchell Boys Choir in Los Angeles, where he appeared in classic films such as White Christmas, Peter Pan, and War of the Worlds. In the late 1950s he co-founded The Lettermen with Jim Pike and Bob Engemann. Their 1961 version of 'The Way You Look Tonight' reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned a Grammy nomination, as did their 1968 medley 'Goin' Out of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes off You.' The group placed more than twenty songs on the Billboard charts, including the Top 10 hits 'When I Fall in Love' and the 1968 medley. The Lettermen toured constantly for decades, and Butala remained with the group until stepping away from performing in 2019. In 2020, Butala and The Lettermen received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was the last surviving member of the trio's original lineup.