What we know
What we know: Tony Butala, co-founder of Lettermen vocal group known for 'The Way You Look Tonight,' dies at 87
Compiled Nov 3
What we know
- Tony Butala, co-founder of The Lettermen, died Sunday at age 87
- He co-founded The Lettermen in the late '50s with Jim Pike and Bob Engemann
- Their first hit, 'The Way You Look Tonight,' peaked at No. 13 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1961 and was Grammy-nominated
- Butala was the last surviving member of the trio's original lineup
- He was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, in 1938 and began singing professionally at age 7
- Butala and The Lettermen received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2020
What we don’t know yet
- A cause of death was not provided
- Details for celebrations of life in Wisconsin and California will be announced at a later date
Open questions
- What was the cause of Tony Butala's death?
- When and where will the celebrations of life take place?
- How did Butala's bandmates and fans react to his death?
- What happens to The Lettermen's future performances without Butala?
Drawn from the Associated Press report. “What we don’t know” lists only what the reporting itself flags as unresolved.