Israel Kamakawiwoʻole

Born in Honolulu on 20 May 1959, Israel Kamakawiwoʻole — widely known as IZ — became the most celebrated voice of the Hawaiian Renaissance. He co-founded the Makaha Sons of Niʻihau in the 1970s, a group that released fifteen albums and brought Hawaiian language and tradition to new audiences across the Pacific and mainland United States. His 1993 album Facing Future became the first Hawaiian record certified platinum, and his medley of Somewhere Over the Rainbow and What a Wonderful World spent 375 weeks at the top of the Billboard World Digital Songs chart. NPR named him one of the 50 Great Voices in 2010. He died on 26 June 1997.