Hawaiian entertainer Dennis Kamakahi dies at 61
The Rev. Dennis Kamakahi, multiple Grammy and Na Hoku Hanohano awards winner and member of the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame, performed at the close of the four-day Kaua`i Music Festival at the Kaua`i Beach Resort. Multiple news organizations are reporting that local entertainer Kamakahi has died at the age of 61.
Multiple news organizations are reporting that local entertainer Rev. Dennis Kamakahi has died at the age of 61.
A Facebook entry attributed to Kamakahi’s son David announced Kamakahi’s passing, saying in part:
"Hawaii has lost one of its greatest sons today. Legendary musician & composer, loving husband, father, and grandfather, Dennis David Kamakahi, passed away at the Queens Medical Center at 4:30pm. After his battle with cancer, he was surrounded by family and close friends, with the background filled with the music of Gabby Pahinui and The Sons of Hawaii. We cried, we prayed, we laughed, we sang for him his many songs that he wrote and also favorites of his own."
Reached via a telephone number posted on the teamdenniskamakahi.com website, which had been used to promote a benefit concert for Kamakahi on March 31, David Kamakahi declined to confirm his father’s death on Monday.
In the Facebook posting, the family asked for privacy and noted that any updates would be posted on the website.
