Waikiki entertainer also a 'damn nice man'

WHEN Dick Jensen opened a show in Waikiki in the 1970s, Star-Bulletin columnist Ben Wood, then the newspaper's entertainment editor, was there to take in the performance.

Later, the manager of a hotel that had a rival showroom asked Wood, "Do I have something to worry about?"

"Boy, you sure do!" Wood exclaimed.

Jensen, Wood recalled, was a "power house," an entertainer who could sing lustily, a big man who could glide across a stage with athletic grace, a charismatic presence who not only "brought the house down," but also "blew it away."

Jensen's death Wednesday marked the passing of another of Hawaii's homegrown talents who flourished in the nightclubs and venues that no longer are part of the Waikiki scene, where locals and visitors rubbed elbows and enjoyed the music and dancing of island performers.

Jensen, a Farrington High School graduate, also excelled in sports, but chose a music career that took him to New York and "The Ed Sullivan Show," Las Vegas and recording contracts.

And through all the pains and joys of celebrity, he remained a "damn nice man," said Wood, "one of the best."