Who is iz hawaii

And I have seen your grandchildren being born, I see them growing up and for some reason God blessed me," Kong said. Skip to content. Local Headlines. Latest Newscasts. Latest Headlines. Latest Forecasts. Sunrise Open House. Healthier Hawaii. What's Trending. Howard's Business Report. Smart Money Monday. Hawaiian Word Of The Day. Hawaii News Now. Warrior Nation. Gridiron Picks. Merrie Monarch. As an activist, Kamakawiwo'ole championed Hawaiian sovereignty.

He believed that his fellow natives were second-class citizens in their own land, pushed to the margins as a result of the tourism industry. In his song "Hawai'i '78" the artist summarized his ideals, imagining the disappointment of his ancestors seeing modern Hawaii:. In , Kamakawiwo'ole died at age 38 due to medical complications over his weight.

The Hawaiian flag flew at half staff on the day of his funeral. Scenes of Kamakawiwo'ole's funeral were included in the posthumous music video for "Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

To this day, Kamakawiwo'ole remains celebrated for his music and activist for his fellow people. Bezley, Kamakawiwo'ole's friend who was present at his funeral, told NPR what he thinks his friend would have thought of the ceremony. And from the ocean we could hear the echo, the bounce off the mountain ranges. This whole island came together just to say goodbye to this one Hawaiian. But I tell you, he would have been laughing.

Eric Francisco. Who was Israel Kamakawiwo'ole? Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwo'ole, with his ukelele. Kamakawiwo'ole's musical styles included the traditional ki ho'alu slack-key guitar tradition, the hapa-haole standards popular with Hawaii's tourists, and Jawaiian, a reggae-influenced style that arose in the late s.

A bit of a troublemaker as a youth, he dropped out of high school. Together they made 21 albums between and Skippy Kamakawiwo'ole died of a heart attack in , the same year Israel married his long-time sweetheart, Marlene Ku'upua Kamakawiwo'ole. They had one daughter, Ceslie-Ann, who was called "Wehi. In , Israel Kamakawiwo'ole recorded the most famous song of his repertoire: Israel alone plays his ukulele and sings a combination of two popular songs, the words sung out of order and altered, which some music critics say speak to his longing for Hawaiian independence.

The album shot to No. By , the record had sold , copies—the first Hawaiian-produced album to go gold—and was certified platinum, selling over 1 million copies by In Hawaii, Kamakawiwo'ole became a bona fide star.

In his music, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole was a staunch advocate for Hawaiian independence and Hawaiian cultural and environmental issues. His lyrics spoke of Hawaiian sovereignty and imagined what the ancient ancestors would think of the situation today; he urged respect for the environment and social justice and warned of the dangers of freeways and development.

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole died on June 26, , at the age of 38, before he gained his vast popularity. He had suffered from morbid obesity his entire life, reaching pounds at one point.