children by him: Kea, 17, and Kea Lii, 13. first of his two by Patricia Swallie Choy, 48, a former she appeared on Nickelodeon's "The Big Help" with the group and says. House.". Hoku -- the artist formerly known as Hoku Ho and daughter of legendary Hawaii entertainer Don Ho -- by her own description is "living a miracle" she never imagined even in her wildest fantasies. ", This page was last edited on 25 March 2023, at 02:00. [1] She graduated from La Pietra. home. He also continued his nightly performances, making a few concessions such as trading in his glass of Scotch that he kept on top of his piano at shows for pineapple juice. Hoku was attending the Christian college Point Loma Nazarene University hundreds of requests each day for the song. Last September Mr. Ho took another medical leave to have a new pacemaker installed. record producers. Hoku had her biggest hits in 2000, so "later went on to become a recording artist" after 2006 is not right. Guevara, 44, another former Ho singer, who also had two [1] Hoku and her husband Jeremy have three children and serve as Arts and Worship Architects at Branches Church in Dana Point, California. Cite this record . I'm so excited Even the normally cool and laid back Don Ho is stunned at "how In 1967, Hos Tiny Bubbles reached No. "You have to let "I'm sure glad she's that, because in this day and age, you can watch television and see how it influences the kinds in many ways. Since then, she has funded two EPs. Don Ho to be released from hospital soon. "When I was younger I had the security of my dad being behind me, covering up if I made a mistake or making a joke here or there to ease the tension if something happened. Around the same time Mr. Ho married his longtime executive producer, Haumea Hebenstreit. The music is light and easy listening, with an emphasis on strings and "It took me 40 years to get where I am, and in three [8] A day after its music video premiered on MTV, it was the network's tenth most-requested video. ", In reality Hoku has never just been the to be where I am right now that I'm not even looking into the future. says. Now it's Hoku. He began playing shows in Waikiki, and his popularity soared. He is best known for the song "Tiny Bubbles" from the album of the same name. "I tell her to learn about business and save your As herself in Episode 1.9 (October 14, 2000) "A Night to Remember. The cause was heart failure, his daughter Dayna Ho said. She knows she has dad to thank for being discovered. Stuck without her favorite Hawaiian dish In October the 19-year-old La Pietra -- Hawaii School for Girls graduate "I may have to ask her But that's hardly unusual, given that Hoku has performed with her father since she was a preteen in Hawaii. his audiences, Ho's enthusiastic ravings caught the ear of So it's good for her to understand that.". [6] His daughter Hoku performed with him in his Waikk show and in 2000 went on to become a nationally known recording artist in her own right. The entertainer is best known for his catchy signature tune "Tiny Bubbles.". [6] For a time, Clements lived in an affluent Hawaiian neighborhood, Diamond Head, with Don, Patricia, Kaimana, Don's ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Guevara, and Don and Elizabeth's two daughters. Ho first invited her onstage at the Hilton [3] Another song associated with Don was "Pearly Shells". terrible. "Being on MTV was one of my ultimate goals, but being in the top 10 of Late in 2005, Mr. Hos regular engagement was interrupted because of a heart condition called nonischemic cardiomyopathy, a muscular weakness unrelated to coronary artery disease. But it's not me.". "My dad is really the entertainer, the one who everyone knows, who "I had a real affinity for it," she By 1962 he was headlining there with a backing group called the Aliis. herself. Hoku is an American singer. The family later moved to Kaneohe, also on Oahu, where his parents owned Honey's, a bar named after his mother. they worked together in Hawaii and on the West Coast. Unlike her previous works, this is her first Christian EP. He was well-positioned to capitalize on the newly admitted state's growing popularity as a tourist destination during the decade due to cheap air travel and the popularity of Tiki bars. A second album was planned after the success of \"Perfect Day\" on the Legally Blonde soundtrack , but was later scrapped when she disagreed with her label over her musical direction. or redistributed. has experienced all the joy and fun of being so successful," Hoku says "Don Ho Abandons Little Grass Shack; Hawaiian Is Voice of Islands' New Sound Brings Kui Lee Songs to the Royal Box". "There's room in the girl arena for her to fit On December 6, 2005, Ho had his own blood-derived stem cells injected into his heart by Amit Patel and his fellow surgeons in Thailand. (In December He was a graduate of the Kamehameha Schools in 1949 and he attended Springfield College on a football scholarship in 1950, but returned home to earn a Bachelor's degree in sociology at University of Hawaii in 1953. Admittedly, "I'm most comfortable performing with my dad because that's how I started out," she says. Don Ho spread his special brand of aloha that included fathering 10 children. Copy and paste this as text into your genealogy software or website. HAWAI'I'S ICON DON HO, 1930 2007: Don Ho dies. The name means "star" in Hawaiian -- fitting for the 19-year-old island native who is also the daughter of Mr. Hawaii himself, "Tiny Bubbles" crooner Don Ho, and singer Patricia Swallie Choy. Less than seven weeks later, Mr. Ho returned to the Beachcomber and performed a sold-out show stocked with loyal fans and local entertainers paying respects. "Now that I've had some fame and some success, my opinions matter more, so there's definitely going to be some changes, and there's going to be more of me coming out in my music. Don Ho, one of James and Emily "Honey" Ho's nine children, was born in the quiet Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako on the island of Oahu. money. Anyone can read what you share. But it is one of the benefits of pop stardom. "I'm really enjoying the whole width and Her songs are never sexual the way those of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera surely are. "You know, it's hard because I am blonde and I am under 21," she says. ", Lately, Coach Ho has been giving her pep His opening-night performance broke all previous attendance records. door. they are who make you what you are. https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/arts/music/15ho.html. Don Ho enjoyed asking for a show of hands of veterans of World War II. In his later years, Ho's daughter Hoku performed with him in the Waikiki show. Donald Tai Loy Ho (August 13, 1930 - April 14, 2007) was a Hawaiian traditional pop musician, singer and entertainer. Then came the hit records. With a sparkle in his eyes, Don introduced his "star" of the evening, daughter Hoku, a well-known pop singer in her own right. The Honolulu Medical Examiner's office said Friday afternoon that it had no information to release about the death. With a repertory that included some of Mr. Lees earlier work, Mr. Ho developed a style that carried over to the nightclub scene in Waikiki. Among her appearances, she taped a Disney Channel special with boy band 98 Degrees, and over the summer participated in a Disney-sponsored tour (though she was not the headlining act). [10] Shocked by the single's success, Hoku dropped out of Point Loma Nazarene and began recording her first album Hoku (2000). We always had a reserved seat at the table right in front of Don. Within five years, Mr. Ho had achieved nationwide fame with several successful albums and a hit single, Tiny Bubbles. A full decade before Jimmy Buffetts Margaritaville, the song painted an appealing portrait of tropical indulgence that cemented Mr. Hos character as an easygoing romantic rogue. about. "He sits me down in this chair -- I can barely reach the mike and you can barely see me from the auditorium -- and he just had me sit there and sing this song, and I got a standing ovation, which was pretty crazy for an 11-year-old. Ethnicity: *father - Chinese, German, Native Hawaiian, Portuguese. Hoku wanted to include a duet with her dad on her debut album, but the two did not have the time to do so. Her father, she says, "is like the coach proud of his Guest appearances on television series such as I Dream of Jeannie, The Brady Bunch, Sanford and Son, Batman, Charlie's Angels, McCloud and Fantasy Island soon followed. Born Donald Tai Loy Ho in the Honolulu enclave of Kakaako, Mr. Ho had an ethnic background worthy of the islands melting-pot ideal: he was of Hawaiian, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch and German descent. "No one can prepare you for it," she says. [7] She married her high school sweetheart, Jeremy Clements, in 1999. Don Ho, 76; singer was best known for 66 hit 'Tiny Bubbles'. "Because of the saturation of pop singers, right now the market is kind of rejecting anyone but people like Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera and the two boys bands ('N Sync and the Backstreet Boys).". He resumed performing weekly and lunching at Don Ho's Island Grill, a restaurant that . Don had ten children in all with first wife Melvia; one of his daughters, singer Hoku (their seventh child, whose name means "star" in Hawaiian), often performed with him and went on to launch her own musical career. "So I kind of felt like maybe it was my job to do that in the beginning, or that was the niche that I wanted because it went along with my faith and my morals.". Ho has a mixed ethnic heritage, claiming Hawaiian, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, and German descent. Although his album sales peaked in the late 1960s, he was able to land a television series on ABC from October 1976 to March 1977 with The Don Ho Show variety program which aired on weekday mornings.[4][5]. One of his 10 children, daughter Hoku, is a pop singer who performed . she said. [13] Struggling to find a niche in the pop music industry, she left the label, disagreeing with them regarding her image and marketing, which she felt clashed with her Pentecostal Christian upbringing. He will be forever missed. For much of the past three decades, Mr. Ho was a steady Waikiki nightclub attraction, appealing largely to tourists. He also featured younger talent, including his daughter Hoku Ho, who had two Top 40 pop singles in 2000. . They were married for 48 years, until Melva's death on June 8, 1999. . girl next door. be a sex symbol, especially because of my faith," says He will be forever missed. and to finally see it come to life now," Hoku said. His popularity never seriously suffered however, and his shows remained popular with vacationers. [13], Ho married twice and had ten children by three women.[14][15]. Blonde. "Now we're kind of moving on," she says. 18 and 20 will be compared to Spears and Aguilera. ", Too busy, she says, to have a serious What Shows Have Been Renewed or Canceled? View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. "And we'd just do the show and she'd run around the stage like (it was) no big thing. HONOLULU The late Do Ho's daughter, Dayna Ho-Henry, was found dead Friday, her brother said. From 1964 to 1969, Don's backing group was The Aliis: Al Akana, Rudy Aquino, Benny Chong, Manny Lagodlagod and Joe Mundo. this," Hoku said. Mr. Ho was a durable spokesman for the image of Hawaii as a tourist playground. John Travolta's brother, Joey, directs the film, which co-stars Morgan Fairchild and Greg Evigan (of TV's "My Two Dads") and features music from Hawaiian singer Don Ho's daughter, Hoku. He loved to work with his children, teaching them the entertainment business. and sexy videos. "I will always have this His TV r?sum? also includes appearances on The Brady Bunch, Charlies Angels, Batman and I Dream of Jeannie. In 1996, Ho appeared on the big screen, portraying the evil landlord in Joes Apartment. Its video was a favorite on MTV's "Total Request Live" video show. Hoku, a musical star in her own right; sang the title song for the 2001 hit movie, Legally Blonde. Dumb Blonde" debuted on MTV. ", The seventh of Ho's 10 children -- and the She's at home there.". Ho wholeheartedly approves of his daughter's religious devotion. signature song "Tiny Bubbles," Hoku told Launch magazine in an After listening to it [5] I'm The elder Ho, who is headlining the shows (which will also include performances by the Kids Next Door, a song-and-dance ensemble), will invite Hoku onstage to perform cuts from her debut album, the tongue-in-cheek-titled "Another Dumb Blonde," released earlier this year. station's 10th most requested video. and two months later was recording "Another Dumb Patti Swallie is a singer and the mother of Hoku. And she knows she has dad to thank for being discovered. (The soundtrack will be released Feb. 8). talks to help her handle fame. "I've already done so much that I never imagined," she says. But that's about as far as dad's advice has gone. In 1954, Ho entered the U.S. Air Force and flew fighter jets in both Texas and Hawaii. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 8 on the Billboard charts. Hoku's as-yet-untitled compact disc is expected this spring, and she'll games if I'm not sleeping," she said. Don married his high school sweetheart, Melva May Kolokea Wong, on November 22, 1951. She was only 11 when he gave her a solo "To have that for even one day was a miracle to me. "I told her she's got to go to school and be a business person besides an entertainer because there's no sense making money and (not knowing) what to do with it," he said. "I don't have to doctor it and use all the tricks of the studio. Armato encouraged the teen-ager to go to Los Angeles to meet with Says Hoku, "Dad taught me never to take fans for granted because now my fans are all pretty young girls.". your kids do their own thing; they march to a different drum these days. talent. In 1995, at age 65, Ho suffered a mild stroke and his health began a steady decline.