Hawaii's "Tiny Bubbles" singer Don Ho dies at 76

HONOLULU (Reuters) - Don Ho, Hawaii's most popular entertainer who achieved fame far beyond his home state with the song "Tiny Bubbles," died on Saturday at age 76, an official said.

The "King of Waikiki" died at a Honolulu medical center, said Michael Lynch, investigator at the office of the Honolulu medical examiner, without giving the reason for death.

Ho had a history of heart problems and The Honolulu Advertiser newspaper said he suffered a heart attack at his home in Waikiki early on Saturday.

Ho underwent an experimental stem cell procedure in Thailand in 2005 to strengthen his heart. His health improved markedly and he returned to doing shows at a Waikiki hotel twice a week.

The son of bar owners, Ho started singing in a famous Waikiki lounge in the 1960s. By 1966, his fame had spread to the U.S. mainland after he performed in Los Angeles' Coconut Grove and recorded the hit song "Tiny Bubbles."

Ho's record sales declined after the late 1960s, but he remained a fixture on the show circuit in Las Vegas and Hawaii for many years and appeared on a number of television programs in the 1970s, usually playing himself.