Israel "IZ" Ka?ano?i Kamakawiwo?ole
(Hawaiian pronunciation: [ka?maka??iwo'?ole]; May 20, 1959 – June 26, 1997)
was a Hawaiian musician. He became famous outside Hawaii when his album Facing Future was released in 1993. His medley of "Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World" was subsequently featured in several films, television programs, and commercials. Through his ukulele playing and incorporation of other genres (such as jazz and reggae), Kamakawiwo?ole remains one of the major influences in Hawaiian music.
In Loving Memory
Israel "IZ" Ka?ano?i Kamakawiwo?ole
05/20/1959 - 06/20/1997
Throughout his whole life, Kamakawiwo?ole was obese and at one point carried 757 pounds (343 kg; 54.1 st) on his 6-foot-2-inch (1.88 m) frame.He endured several hospitalizations because of problems caused by his weight. At age 38, he died of weight-related respiratory illness at The Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu on June 26, 1997, at 12:18 a.m. Kamakawiwo?ole is survived by his wife, Marlene Kamakawiwo?ole, and his daughter, Ceslie-Ann "Wehi".
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