Tony Butala, co-founder of The Lettermen, the Grammy-nominated trio whose lush three-part harmonies made them one of the most popular vocal groups of the 1960s, died Sunday at 87.

The band's media coordinator, Tracy Clark, confirmed the death to The Associated Press, and both WWAYTV3 and Page Six carry the band's official statement: "We have lost an integral member of The Lettermen family."

A cause of death was not provided, there will be no public viewing, and celebrations of life in Wisconsin and California will be announced later. Butala stepped away from performing in 2019 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with the group in 2020.

The career arc a singing enthusiast would find remarkable began in childhood.

According to the Associated Press reporting carried by both outlets, Butala was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, in 1938, started singing professionally at age 7, was on KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh at 8, and by 10 had moved to Los Angeles to join the Mitchell Boys Choir — appearing in classic films including "White Christmas," "Peter Pan," "War of the Worlds" and "On Moonlight Bay."

In the late 1950s he co-founded The Lettermen with Jim Pike and Bob Engemann, and their version of "The Way You Look Tonight" peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961, earning a 1962 Grammy nomination and a Best New Artist nod the same night.

For vocal devotees, the significance is that Butala was the last surviving member of the original lineup: Page Six and WWAYTV3 both note Jim Pike died in 2019 at 82 from complications of Parkinson's disease and Bob Engemann died in 2013.

Across decades of changing lineups the group always remained a trio to preserve its distinctive three-part sound — the current lineup is Donovan Tea, Bobby Poynton and Rob Gulack — a continuity rare in pop vocal music.

The band's statement, quoted by both publishers, calls Butala's life "a living example of talent, perseverance, and refinement" and says "his true joy was entertaining and sharing his music with audiences worldwide."

The numbers tell why fans are talking about this one rather than a routine passing.

After the 1961 breakthrough, The Lettermen placed 19 more songs on Billboard charts over the following decade, per the AP reporting in both sources, with two reaching the Top 10: "When I Fall in Love" in 1962 and the Grammy-nominated 1968 medley "Goin' Out of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes off You."

Their last hit was 1971's "Everything is Good About You." The group toured constantly, playing colleges across the country and venues worldwide.

Memorial details for Wisconsin and California have not yet been announced, but the band says fans will be told when celebrations of life are set.