These are some notable people in Hawaii who have recently passed away!
1) Willie Talamoa
Of all the people who have died in Hawaii from the coronavirus, Willie Talamoa probably got the most attention. He was working with the community in various capacities including youth football coach, security in public schools and hospitals and service assistant at a homeless shelter run by the Institute for Human Services (IHS). It was the IHS shelter that had a coronavirus outbreak, which most likely led to Talamoa's death.
I've met Talamoa before back in high school. He was a few years younger than me. He was part of the school's football team. Fast forward years later, I did a temp job testing mobile communications at a local hospital, and Talamoa was working security there.
I've never had a chance to have a real conversation beyond the usual greetings. I wish I had at least reach out on social media when he was still alive.
Learn more
https://www.kitv.com/story/42531113/36yearold-dies-of-covid19-associated-with-ihs-cluster
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/08/24/hawaii-news/covid-victim-was-beloved-farrington-football-assistant/
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/08/22/year-old-oahu-man-who-died-covid-remembered-always-upbeat-positive/
2.) Raymond Perty (aka Tuxedo Man)
In tropical and sometimes humid Hawaii, most of us would avoid wearing tuxedos unless going to a special function at night.
Raymond Perty wore a tuxedo every day, and it made him stand out from the crowd. He spent a lot of time on the campus at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, especially in the libraries. I would also see him walking around Manoa valley.
He was also known for carrying a lot of plastic bags with him. While I was in the past accused of having a plastic bag fetish (all because I opposed a ban on plastic bags being given out at stores), Perty carried a lot of plastic bags with him at all times. People wondered if he was homeless, even though he dressed as if he was working with the symphony.
Perty has died last month. The cause of death was not publicized.
Learn more at
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/09/10/editorial/island-voices/column-an-era-ends-with-passing-of-tuxedo-man-raymond-k-petry/
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Now, for the next few individuals, they died months ago, but I was too distracted to blog about them until now.
3.) Willie K and Kaulana Pakele
Both are longtime Hawaiian musicians.
Willie K would be the most well-known one since he's a solo artist. He could do all genres of music, from Hawaiian, reggae, rock, Latin, blues, country and even the opera! He could do it all.
He even gained the respect of famous musicians from far away like Willie Nelson and Steve Tyler.
He had a powerful voice that was sadly cut short recently due to lung cancer.
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Kaulana Pakele was a lead singer with two famous Hawaii reggae bands, Ehukai and Manao Company. With Ehukai, their most popular song was "Molokai Slide". With Manao Company, they already had some hits before Pakele joined in, but the biggest one with them together was “Spread A Little Aloha.”
Pakele died in May from drowning while swimming off the shore of Makaha.
Learn more at
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/05/19/hawaii-news/hawaii-music-legend-willie-k-dies-at-age-59-after-2-year-battle-with-cancer/
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/05/19/hawaiian-music-legend-willie-k-dies-after-lengthy-battle-lung-cancer-battle/
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/05/26/breaking-news/kaulana-pakele-lead-singer-of-manao-company-dies-at-47/
