[20], On May 20, 2020, Google Doodle published a page in celebration of Kamakawiwoʻole's 61st birthday. Israel Kamakawiwo'ole died of weight-related respiratory illness on June 26, 1997 at 12:18 am at the age of 38. About 15 minutes later, there's a knock on Bertosa's door. Israel Kamakawiwo'ole: The Voice Of Hawaii The late Hawaiian musician known best for his ukulele-backed rendition of "Over the Rainbow" was … It was subsequently featured in several films, television programs and television commercials. He helped bring Hawaiian sound back to its native roots and away from the touristy songs of his childhood. Bezley, Kamakawiwo'ole's friend who was present at his funeral, told NPR what he thinks his friend would have thought of the ceremony. [18], On December 6, 2010, NPR named Kamakawiwoʻole as "The Voice of Hawaii" in its 50 great voices series. Download the song: California Doctor Criticizes State’s COVID-19 Approach. The album is considered a classic and suggested in some tourist guides as representative of Hawaiian contemporary music. Thousands of fans gathered as his ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean at Mākua Beach on July 12, 1997. [25] The song is the longest-leading number one hit on any of the Billboard song charts, having spent 185 weeks on top of the World Digital Songs chart. He suffered from morbid obesity (700) pounds. As an activist, Kamakawiwo'ole championed Hawaiian sovereignty. MichaelCorcoran’s “Discovering Israel ten years ago.” Exaggeration manages to get in SF Gate’s “Hawai’i, he sang of thee–and […], […] Discovery Reprise: Remembering Israel Kamakawiwo’ole“ published 11. “I said, ‘OK, you’ve got 30 minutes to get here and 30 minutes to record.” By the end of the hour, “this house with a ukulele” (Bertosa’s first impression of Iz) had recorded the magical arrangement for “Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World.”, During one of the spoken snippets of “Alone in IZ World,” his second posthumous release, the singer talks about the obesity that killed his brother Skippy (also in Makaha Sons of Niihau), his father, his mother and his sister with an awareness that a similar fate would soon be his. [25], On July 8, 2007, Kamakawiwoʻole debuted at No. When I went back to Aiea to visit my parents she asked me to bring back all of Iz’ records (I think he did only 2 or 3 up to that point). Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. Kamakawiwo'ole kindly asked. In introducing his traditional Hawaiian material, Kamakawiwo’ole often spoke in support of the sovereignty movement, which asks reparations and a return of sacred lands from the U.S. government. He played and sang, one take, and it was over." The first edition was published in 2005 to wide acclaim. “In Hawaii, we talk about this thing we call mana,” musician Del Beazley, who grew up with Israel, told NPR. After he was cremated, a convoy of trucks, vans, cars and city maintenance vehicles honked their horns all the way up the Waianae Coast to Makaha, where Iz lived as a teen and formed his first band, the Makaha Sons of Niihau. The music managers Wolfgang Boss and Jon de Mello accepted the trophy in his stead. Kamakawiwoʻole was born at Kuakini Medical Center in Honolulu to Henry "Hank" Kaleialoha Naniwa Kamakawiwoʻole Jr. and Evangeline "Angie" Leinani Kamakawiwoʻole. FFARCS(I) It was like we just caught the moment.". Bertosa was in the process of shutting down for the night, but said he could come if he was able to get there in 15 minutes. See detailed result below. There he met Louis Kauakahi, Sam Gray, and Jerome Koko. "All the big semi-trucks on the island of Oahu had their air horns blowing. He was a gentle soul and Hawaiian through and through [2]. “I only in heah temporary. He endured several hospitalizations and died of weight-related respiratory illness on June 26, 1997, at 12:18 a.m. at the age of 38. Iz: Voice of the People. Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World, Recording Industry Association of America, Somewhere Over The Rainbow / What A Wonderful World, "Gods of Uke: The Wizardry of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole", "The Legacy: A Voice Of Hawai'i and Hawaiians", "Israel Kamakawiwo'ole: The Voice of Hawaii", "Article by Jay Hartwell of the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa", "Hawaii State Motto Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka Aina I Ka Pono The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness", "Isles bid aloha, not goodbye, to 'Brudda Iz, "Isles Bid Aloha, not Goodbye, to 'Brudda Iz, "OFFICIAL Somewhere over the Rainbow – Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole", "OFFICIAL – Somewhere Over the Rainbow 2011 – Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole", "Starauflauf Bei der Echo-Verleihung in Berlin", "5 questions with Disney/Pixar's 'LAVA' director James Ford Murphy", Week Ending Oct. 2, 2011. Israel Kamakawiwo'ole: May 20, 1959 - June 26, 1997 (pronounced “Ka-MA-ka-VEE-vo-oh-lay”) was a giant, a man of more than 700 pounds who could make the little ukulele sing as sweetly as his own falsetto. Kamakawiwoʻole was raised in the community of Kaimuki, where his parents had met and married.