Community Corner

Renowned Ukulele Player Dies at 103

Bill Tapia, a longtime member of the Oasis Senior Center, was inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame in 2004.

Bill Tapia, a longtime member and friend of the in Corona del Mar, passed away today at his home in Westminster, according to his website.

Tapia was born in Hawaii on New Year's Day 1908 to Portuguese parents. He belonged to the Oasis ukulele club and celebrated his 103rd birthday at the senior center in January. Also known as the "duke of yuke,"  Tapia was one of the world's oldest performing musicians. He began playing the ukulele as a boy. 

A statement on his website states Tapia "passed away peacefully in his sleep at home."

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Tapia started in vaudeville when he was in the eighth grade and quit school to entertain audiences on cruise ships. Tapia later taught Shirley Temple how to play the ukulele and performed with Billie Holiday, Elvis Presley and Bing Crosby. Before he was a teen, he played for the troops in World War I. Tapia credited his long life to walking five miles a day, jogging and riding his bike for 10 miles until the age of 87.

"It makes me happy when I'm playing," Tapia told Corona del Mar Patch at his birthday celebration in January.

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Tapia was inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame in 2004, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hawaiian Academy of Recording Arts in 2011. To read more about Tapia's life and listen to excerpts of his musical career, visit his website.


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