Times Square Gossip

The king of Hawaii Don Ho Legendary crooner Don Ho, known for his raspberry-tinted sunglasses and catchy signature tune "Tiny Bubbles," has died, his publicist said. He was 76. Publicist Donna Jung said the singer died Saturday morning of heart failure. He had suffered with heart problems for the past several years, and had a pacemaker installed last fall. In 2005, he underwent an experimental stem cell procedure on his ailing heart in Thailand in 2005. Ho entertained Hollywood's biggest stars and thousands of tourists for four decades. For many, no trip to Hawaii was complete without seeing his Waikiki show — a mix of songs, jokes, double entendres, Hawaii history and audience participation. Shows usually started and ended with the same song, "Tiny Bubbles," which Ho mostly hummed as the audience enthusiastically took over. "I hate that song," he often joked to the crowd, adding that he saved it for the end because "people my age can't remem...

Don Ho Don Ho expects to be released from the hospital by the weekend after having a new pacemaker installed. Ho, known for his signature tune "Tiny Bubbles," has been in the hospital since Sept. 13. The pacemaker was installed Saturday."The new pacemaker has two wires instead of one, one going into each chamber of my heart," Ho told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. "They also put in a kind of balloon deal to keep my heart pumping while they did the operation."In December, the 76-year-old underwent a new heart treatment in Thailand that hasn't been approved in the United States. The procedure involved taking multiplying stem cells from his blood and injecting them into his heart in hopes of strengthening it.There was no indication when Ho would resume his twice-a-week shows at the Ohana Waikiki Beachcomber hotel in Waikiki.Ho said he's considering additional stem-cell treatment if necessary, but that would require traveling internationally.Ho has entert...