The man who made me feel at home 5,000 miles away from where I grew up is dead today. Legendary Hawaiian entertainer Don Ho died Saturday morning of heart failure.
Long-time friends of the singer called Ho “the greatest ambassador of Hawaii,” and that he was. I was born and raised in the “Aloha State,” but no matter where in the world I travel when people learn I am from Hawaii they ask me if I know Don Ho. Until a few years ago my answer was: “Not personally.”
It wasn’t until a few days before my 30th birthday that I would finally get to meet the Hawaiian star face to face. Ironically, our meeting took place a half a continent away from our island home… in the “Frozen Tundra” of Green Bay, Wisconsin. I was anchoring the morning show at the NBC affiliate there and was scheduled to interview Ho live to promote a weekend concert he was headlining in the area.
It was 6:30 a.m. on a chilly Friday morning… and in walks Don Ho in a short sleeved aloha shirt, shorts, slippers, and his trademark raspberry-tinted sunglasses (which he kept on during the entire interview). His smile immediately warmed the studio.
Typically, as the show’s host it’s my job to make the interview subject as comfortable as possible, but with Ho it was the other way around. He slipped onto the set and hung out as if he were sitting in his own living room. We chatted about his family, our shared home state, his travels, and the longevity of his career.
Throughout the interview Ho never missed a beat. He joked about his career and the song that made him famous—“Tiny Bubbles.” When I asked him if he planned to sing it that night at his concert he replied: “No, I hate that song.”
(This is when I opted NOT to tell him “Tiny Bubbles” was the song I danced my first hula to at a park in Hilo.)
I think he saw that I was caught off guard by his answer and quickly followed up with: “Actually, Michele, I probably goin’ sing it twice cuz people my age can’t remember if we did it or not.”
(Yes, nothing says Hawaii than hearing pidgin English at 6:30 in the morning in Green Bay, Wisconsin.)
He made me laugh, he made the crew laugh, and he made himself laugh. Before I knew it, what was slated as a four-minute interview had quickly lapsed into its seventh minute and I was getting a wrap from my producer.
But, Ho wasn’t done yet. As I was reading the information about ticket sales and show times Ho was busy flashing the shaka sign (in Hawaii the hand sign or shaka means “Hang Loose”) to his fans in TV land.
Looking back at that interview it’s easy to see why some say Ho personified “laid back.” He had an unabashed “who cares” attitude that people fell in love with and associated with the Hawaiian lifestyle.
After we completed the interview Ho gave me a big hug and told me to “come home soon.” I only wish he knew how much his visit to Wisconsin made me feel like I was back in Hawaii… if only for a little while.
Aloha Don… and mahalo for the memories!