Tony Butala (standing) with Croatian wine maker and owner of Grgich Hills Estate, Miljenko “Mike” Grgich at a reception. Both are legendary winemakers.
Tony Butala, co-founder and singer of The Lettermen, passed away on Sunday at the age of 87 on Sunday November 1, 2026. Known for his lush vocal harmonies, The Lettermen trio were one of the most popular vocal groups in the 1960s. From 1958 until his retirement in 2019, Butala was the last surviving of the original three members, and in 2020, became a recipient of a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Lettermen Facebook page posted the sad news on Sunday and Tracy Clark, the group’s media coordinator, confirmed Tony’s passing. “We have lost an integral member of The Lettermen family,” it stated. “Tony expertly guided the group throughout his career. He not only combined the early hits of The Lettermen, but in later years had the foresight to realize that the continuance of the harmonious sounds could be intertwined into the contemporary hits of today.”
A cause of death is still unknown and there will be no public viewing. There will be details shared for celebrations of life held in Wisconsin and California to be announced on a later date.
Tony Butala was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, in 1938 to Croatian parents, the eighth of eleven children of Mary Ann (Ference) and John George Butala. In 1948 he began his professional singing career while appearing on the Saturday morning show on KDKA radio, “Starlets on Parade” in Pittsburgh. His show instantly made him a hometown favorite.
In 1951, he moved to California and joined the Robert Mitchell Boys Choir and provided singing voice for the “Lost Boy Fox/ Slightly” in the Disney animated film Peter Pan in 1953. As a teenager, Butala sang with a quartet called “The Fourmost”, which included Concetta Ingolia, who would later be known as Connie Stevens. Connie left for a movie career and Tony decided to go with a three part harmony group.
In 1960, Tony Butala brought on two new singers, Bob Engemann and Jim Pike. In 1961, three young men in letter sweaters, hit the music charts with their first single, “The Way You Look Tonight.” The Lettermen went on to have a myriad of hits including “When I Fall in Love,” “Come Back Silly Girl, ” ” Going Out of My Head/Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You,” “Shangri-La,” “Hurt So Bad” and went on to have nine certified gold albums. The Lettermen pop music chart success ended in 1969. However, Tony spent the the next fifty years, touring and performing around 75-100 shows per year in every corner of this country. Tony was determined that The Lettermen music and sound would endure and they continued to have success with a heavy concert schedule.
Butala also owned Butala Vineyards in Chatsworth, California in 1969 and purchased a ranch along the southern border of the Napa Valley 20 years later. He was a great friend with Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, legendary Croatian wine maker of Grgich Hills Estate located in the heart of the Napa Valley. In 1992, he commercially sold wine under the Castlebrooke label and continued to produce both wine and grapes for other winemakers. In 2009, Tony entered a partnership with Dario Sattui, owner of Castello di Amorosa, with an estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon program, featuring the Butala vineyard grapes.
Butala’s phenomenal musical career and wine business kept him busy, but he still found time for Croatian projects. He was a prominent philanthropist and strong supporter of the Croatian American community. In 2016, the National Federation of Croatian Americans Cultural Foundation (NFCACF) awarded him the NFCACF Lifetime Achievement award in 2016 for his long time and amazingly serious commitment to Croatian causes.
“I have to salute Tony Butala, an amazing singer with The Lettermen with nine gold albums (left us on Sunday),” NFCACF president Steve Rukavina stated in a social media post. “From Napa Valley gatherings with Miljenko Grgich to many DC-Embassy receptions and Capitol Hill Croatian wine tastings, Tony was a proud Croatian, partnering with NFCACF about a dozen times with special events.”
Tony kept close contact with the Croatian American communityand met with many noteworthy Croatians including former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic during events in Napa Valley, Pittsburgh and the nation’s capital. He also participated and sang at several events honoring Mike Grgich.
Tony Butala took The Lettermen throughout the world where trio gained fame in Great Britian, Ireland, the Philippines, and Japan. He performed songs in English, Croatian, Spanish, Filipino, and Japanese. Tony’s music with The Lettermen will live on and as well as his Butala Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon which is still avaiable to this day.
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