Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (May 20, 1959 - June 26, 1997) was the most popular entertainer and singer in Hawaii until his death at the age of 38. He became famous when his album Facing Future in 1993 with his version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow -- drawn from from "The Wizard of Oz," a song usually associated with Judy Garland. It's played in the end of the movie You've Got Mail with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, and also "Finding Forrester" with Sean Connery.
Israel weighed around 800 pounds at the time of his death, from causes related to resperatory failure. He is also noted for being among the few Hawaiians of pure island ancestry.
This article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by fixing it.
