Whatever
Happened...

An update on past news

Wednesday, December 1, 1999

Singer John Gary, scuba
innovator, died last
year at 65

Question: What ever happened to John Gary, the singer of the '60s and '70s who made Hawaii appearances and had a great voice for ballads?

Answer: John Gary, a lyrical baritone with a remarkable three-octave range, died Jan. 4, 1998, in Dallas. He was 65.

Gary bucked rock 'n' roll, the dominant current in popular music, with his renditions of "Unchained Melody," "Danny Boy," "O Sole Mio," "Tenderly," "Softly, As I Leave You" and other standards.

Gary, a diver, also held two underwater endurance records and created a scuba-diving propulsion device used by many divers.

He performed for eight weeks in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel's Monarch Room in 1976 and had earlier spots in the Ilikai Hotel's Pacific Ballroom in 1970. He also appeared in 1969 in what is now Blaisdell Center.

He recorded 50 albums for RCA.

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