Legendary Hawaii entertainer Al Harrington dies at 85

By Rick Quan & KITV Web Staff

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    Honolulu, HI (KITV) — Legendary Hawaii entertainer Al Harrington died on Tuesday afternoon suffering a stroke last week, his family confirmed.

Born in American Samoa, Harrington moved to Honolulu and attended Punahou in the 1950s, where he played for its championship football team.

In 1972, he joined the cast of Hawaii 5-0 as detective Ben Kokua.

After leaving the TV show, he became a showroom headliner in Waikiki and a recording artist.

Kimo Kahoano performed with Harrington at the Hilton Hawaiian Village for several years and says, Al loved working with the crowd before the show.

“He got to know where they’re from, so all he had to do was just drop names and or places,” Kahoano said. “Hey anybody here from Michigan, of course, you are. And he would make it very comfortable and very warm because he was able to spend time, not only here in Hawaii, but on the mainland, so he knew his audience.”

In 2018, Harrington received the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts Lifetime Achievement Award.

He is survived by his wife, four children, and several grandchildren.

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