William Awihilima Kahaialiʻi (October 17, 1960 – May 18, 2020), known as Willie K, was a Hawaiian musician who performed in a variety of styles, including blues,

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

and

Hawaiian music The music of Hawaii includes an array of traditional and popular styles, ranging from native Hawaiian folk music to modern rock and hip hop. Styles like slack-key guitar are well known worldwide, while Hawaiian-tinged music is a frequent part ...

Early life

Born and raised in a family of musicians in

Lahaina, Hawaii Lahaina ( haw, Lāhainā) is the largest census-designated place (CDP) in West Maui, Maui County, Hawaii, United States and includes the Kaanapali and Kapalua beach resorts. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a resident population of 12,702. La ...

, Willie began performing at the age of 8 alongside his father, Hawaiian jazz guitarist Manu Kahaialiʻi.

Career

In 1993, Willie began a collaboration with

Amy Hānaialiʻi Gilliom Amy Hānaialiʻi Gilliom is an American vocalist and songwriter. Hanaialiʻi is a six-time Grammy Award Nominee. She is best known for reinvigorating the Hawaiian tradition of female falsetto singing. Her album ''Generation Hawaii'' won four ...

that would last for nine years. The pair recorded, performed, and toured together, and also shared a personal relationship. Their recordings won seven

Na Hoku Hanohano Awards The Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, occasionally called the Nā Hōkū Awards or Hoku Awards, are the premier music awards in Hawaii.Berger, John"A night of Na Hoku Hanohano" ''Honolulu Star-Advertiser''. May 22, 2011.Haug, Kawehi"Hoku awardees shine ...

, part of Willie's total of 19 Hokus as a musician and producer. In 2005, Willie's reunion album with Gilliom, ''Amy & Willie Live'', was nominated for a Grammy in the first year of the Best Hawaiian Music Album award. In 2007, Willie K became one of very few artists to win a Hoku as part of three different acts – his collaboration with Eric Gilliom won Best Contemporary Hawaiian Album, in addition to wins already achieved with Amy and as a solo artist.

Cancer and death

In February 2018, Willie K was diagnosed with

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

and promptly cancelled upcoming performances in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

. In April 2019, Willie announced via his

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

page that he was undergoing

immunotherapy Immunotherapy or biological therapy is the treatment of disease by activating or suppressing the immune system. Immunotherapies designed to elicit or amplify an immune response are classified as ''activation immunotherapies,'' while immunotherap ...

. In January 2020, in a video posted to Facebook, Willie announced that his cancer was at the terminal stage. He made the video after a concert at ''Blue Note Hawaii'' in

Waikiki Waikiki (; haw, Waikīkī; ; also known as Waikiki Beach) is a neighborhood of Honolulu on the south shore of the island of Oahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Waikiki is most famous for Waikiki Beach, which is one of six beaches in the district ...

. He stated that his "spirits remained high during the concert," which was supposed to be only a 90-minute set, but lasted for two hours. "The crowd deserved it," he said. Willie K died at age 59 on May 18, 2020.

References

External links

Official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kahaialii, William Awihilima 1960 births 2020 deaths People from Lahaina, Hawaii Mountain Apple Company artists Singers from Hawaii Native Hawaiian people Na Hoku Hanohano Award winners Deaths from lung cancer Deaths from cancer in Hawaii Native Hawaiian musicians