Tony Butala, founding member of the Grammy-nominated vocal group The Lettermen, has died aged 87, leaving the trio’s recordings and Disney career as his legacy.
Tony Butala, founding member of the Grammy-nominated vocal group The Lettermen, has died aged 87, leaving the trio’s recordings and Disney career as his legacy.
Eighty-seven years old, a band that’s been touring on its own nostalgia for decades, and this is apparently breaking news. Nobody’s surprised. The Lettermen have been “the last original member” territory for ages, a handful of ageing vocalists trudging through the same medley of old standards while we pretend each farewell is a shock. It was always going to end like this. Let’s not dress up the inevitable as a headline.