Don Ho made "Suck 'em up" a household toast. At the time of his death, he was as much of a Waikiki landmark as Diamond Head and Pearl Harbor.

He was often called Mr. Waikiki because of his reign over the showrooms where he performed for more than four decades.

A workaholic who didn't believe in retirement, Ho often said he felt half his age, and until recent years, he strove to perform as if he were still youthful.

"The audience will tell me when to quit," he said as he approached 70, but fans and curious tourists continued to fill the seats at this shows right up to his last performance on Thursday.

Ho, known for his sly sense of humor, also made a joke out of his age. He remained seated during his program in recent years, using a phone placed atop his keyboard to give instructions to the band and staff.

"I retired 20 years ago," he said playfully upon turning 70, but he also said that a sense of responsibility to support his fellow performers and large family (he had 10 children) kept him going. And in 2002, he embarked on a "coast-to-coast tour" that attracted sold-out crowds in California, Washington, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

GAVE MANY THEIR BREAK

Ho always sought a sense of fun in his shows. His performers became extended family. He nurtured unknown talent, finding joy in grooming a newcomer for a slot in his nightly shows.

"When you work with young people, it keeps you feeling younger," he said, during one interview. "I believe in that."

Over the years, he gave exposure to many budding performers, including Robin Wilson, Angel Pablo, Sam Kapu Jr., Joe the Fiddler and Taran Erickson. He shared his stage with some longtime collaborators right up until the end, including Benny Chong, who was an original member of The Aliis, his first back-up band.

Ho regularly performed with his singing daughter, Hoku, the only one of his children to follow in his show biz footsteps. His fatherly pride in her success was evident. A portion of his Web site, donho.com, was devoted to Hoku's musical career.

To locals, Ho was the brah who made good — a Kamehameha Schools graduate who scored hit records galore, starred in his own TV series from Hawai'i, commonly played himself in TV episodes filmed in the Islands, and played gigs at fashionable nightspots in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago and elsewhere.

To visitors, he was Mr. Waikiki, a home-grown Dean Martin who slurred his lyrics as if he were tipsy. For years, his audiences thought he was sipping booze between songs — and early on, he was. It used to be Scotch, but in more recent years, he was slurping water or pineapple juice.

HAWAI'I'S FAVORITE KISS

His "ain't no beeg t'ing" demeanor — Ho was always off-beat and laid-back — made his songfests like one big backyard jam, with Ho serving as unruffled partymaster.

To grandmothers, he was Hawai'i's most kissable star. Up through the '90s, Ho would haul up all the tutu in the house to come join in the fun on stage, and he would kiss adoring fans one by one, often with an approving spouse pointing a camera for a Kodak moment.

To diners, he was a restaurateur. Although he was never in the kitchen, Ho in 1998 became a partner in Don Ho's Island Grill, a harborside restaurant and club at Aloha Tower Marketplace, and his routine included frequent lunchtime visits, delighting fans who had chance meetings.

To young people, he was a cool dude, particularly when he reworked Peter Gabriel's "Shock the Monkey" in 2002 for an compilation CD entitled "When Pigs Fly." An animated musical video of the song hit MTV; these outside-the-box ventures expanded his audience to include Gen-Xers.

Ho was even a movie star, briefly, in a comedy called "Joe's Apartment," released in 1996. His show became a stop favored by alternative musicians from bands such as Green Day, the Foo Fighters and No Doubt. As a result, Maxim magazine dubbed him one of the "50 Coolest Guys Ever."

To young kids, he was a voice from an "Aloha Scooby-Doo" DVD, released in 2005.

A former Air Force pilot who graduated from Kamehameha Schools where he was a tri-sport athlete, Ho had a humble start.

Born in Kaka'ako, Ho grew up in Kane'ohe, where his mother operated a namesake establishment, Honey's. The neighborhood restaurant and tavern was frequented by Marines from the nearby base, who came for comfort food — burgers and Hawaiian fare — during World War II.

Honey's eventually relocated to another site in Kane'ohe, across from Windward Mall. After returning from his own tour of duty, Ho started his entertainment career at Honey's, singing and playing the organ. He began playing with The Aliis at Honey's in 1962.

In 1964, he began a gig at Duke Kahanamoku's, named after the iconic swimmer and surfer, that put him on the map.

He was the right man for the right club at the right time, when visitors were flocking to the newly designated 50th State. The lively club was in the International Marketplace and owned and operated by the late impresario Kimo McVay, who saw the raw, potential appeal in Ho among locals and visitors.

Ho recorded a live album with The Aliis, his back-up group at the time, for Reprise Records. He became associated with a number of hit songs, including "Tiny Bubbles," arguably his most famous, and "I'll Remember You," by the late Kui Lee, a friend from the Honey's days. Ho would record and popularize many other songs by Lee, including "Lahainaluna," "One Paddle, Two Paddle," "If I Had to Do It Again."

'TINY BUBBLES'

"Tiny Bubbles," a composition by Leon Pober, never was meant to be an Island-related song, until Ho recorded it with Hawaiian verses in addition to the English. He often lifted his glass in a toast before launching into the tune, to suit the lyrics: "Tiny bubbles, make me warm all over, with a feelin' that I'm gonna love you till the end of time."

A sense of humor and connection with the audience were important to Ho, no matter how relaxed he might appear.

He once explained to Harry B. Soria Jr., in a "Territorial Airwaves" radio interview: "All through my career, I've believed that there's a difference between being a singer and being an entertainer. A singer has a good voice, but an entertainer knows how to connect."

His shows were spontaneous, with surprise turns at any moment. From his kingly position behind an electric organ, Ho held court with a few songs, a lot of serenades from his performing 'ohana and audience participation.

In his heyday, during the '60s and '70s, Ho commanded a retinue of front-row female fans, dubbed "Ho's Honeys," who were generally selected by doormen or club managers. Ho would frequently challenge one "to come up and sit by my organ."

In that same period, many Hollywood star and global celebrities simply had to find out what the buzz was about. Ho's admirers ranged from Judy Garland to Frank Sinatra, from Milton Berle to Johnny Cash, from Lucille Ball to Connie Stevens.

Even Elvis Presley paid his respects. As the story goes, The King made an impromptu appearance on the stage at the Hilton Las Vegas and gave Ho a big kiss. "I have a picture of that," Ho said. "But I don't like that photo because Elvis looks a hundred times better than me."

He enjoyed the challenge of satisfying fans of all ages. "We're in the memory business. And the toughest thing is, how do you satisfy the people who've been in the Vietnam War, the old folks who only want to hear 'Sweet Leilani,' the ones that want 'Tiny Bubbles'? We are challenged. But I enjoy the challenge."

SUPPORTED SERVICEMEN

Ho was always a booster of those in uniform, inviting servicemen and veterans to stand and take a bow during his show. After 9/11, he included police and firefighters in his tributes.

He may not have felt or behaved like one, but Ho was a recording star. His hits led to TV appearances and live shows on the Mainland, and the music, which remains a cult favorite today, kept his name on the radar.

Ho never changed his laid-back, even lazy, manner; for many years, he'd don a trench coat over shorts; he'd appear with disheveled hair, hiding behind dark glasses. He often mumbled; he'd joke that he hated to sing "Tiny Bubbles" one more time. But he never quit playing to the audience.

It was just Don Ho's way. Ain't no big t'ing.

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.