this thread is created so we can share our knowldge and information about our favourite singer who had died, doesnt have to be international artist, domestic artists are okay. mods feel free to move or close this thread if you think this is inappropriate. [b]Israel "Iz" Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole[/b] [spoiler][align=center][img]http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/4710/220pxisraelkamakawiwool.jpg[/img][/align] Israel "Iz" Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole (May 20, 1959 – June 26, 1997) (pronounced [kaˌmakaˌʋiwoˈʔole]) 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), Kamakawiwoʻole remains one of the major influences in Hawaiian music over the last 15 years. Throughout the later part of his life, Kamakawiwoʻole 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. Kamakawiwoʻole is survived by his wife, Marlene Kamakawiwo'ole, and his daughter, Ceslie-Ann "Wehi". The Hawaiʻi State Flag flew at half-staff on July 10, 1997, the day of Kamakawiwoʻole's funeral. His koa wood coffin lay in state at the Capitol building in Honolulu. He was the third person in Hawaiian history to be accorded this honor, and the only one who was not a government official. Approximately ten thousand people attended the funeral. Thousands of fans gathered as his ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean at Mākua Beach on July 12, 1997 Recommended song : Somehwhere Over The Rainbow[/spoiler] the way he sang songs, his voice, i love it. how about you?