Israel Kaanoi Kamakawiwole stood up to his name, which was as intimidating as his size.

The famous medley “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” was written by Kamakawiwole, a singer-songwriter who was inspired by the gentle, calm rhythms that celebrate island life. The 1993 single, titled “Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World,” was on Kamakawiwo’ole’s album “Facing Future” and was used in a number of TV shows, advertisements, and film scores, including “Meet Joe Black” and “Son of the Mask.”

’’The entry meant far more to Kamakawiwo’ole, often known as Iz, Big Iz, or The Gentle Giant, than just a musical backdrop. With its soothing tenor ukulele and Iz’s exquisite falsetto, his music stood out as a reflection of local Hawaiian culture, which he believed was losing ground to the vacation industry.

In fact, Iz realized at the age of 11 that contemporary Hawaiian music had little in common with traditional Hawaiian music. Four studio albums and four compilations would soon follow, with his most well-known record, Facing the Future,” going double platinum.

All are filled with the calm, sunny ukulele that inspires the state motto’s depiction of island life in tales and anecdotes. It says, “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.”
Iz’s health would suffer as a result of his obesity; he was about 1,000 pounds when he passed away in June 1997 at the age of 38.

WBUR News quotes Iz as having said:

I realize this seems strange, but I don’t fear death since I think all of these locations are only transitory. We Hawaiians live on both land and sea; thus, this is only one shell. We have it in our blood.