Charles Stevens

obituary

Charles Thomas Ingolia, a renowned drummer and brother of actress Connie Stevens, died of a heart attack Sunday in Las Vegas. He was 63.

Ingolia, whose stage name was Chuck Stevens, joined Butera & The Wildest in 1987, playing at the Sheraton Desert Inn on the Strip.

Ingolia's early training was rooted in jazz, working with performers such as Stan Getz, Mary Lou Williams and Marion McPartland. He worked for seven years as a studio performer for Warner Bros. in recording and television.

During that period, he appeared as an actor in several television movies, including "Hawaiian Eye," which starred his younger sister.

Numerous tours followed with artists such as Nancy Wilson, Eddie Fisher, Pat Boone, Frankie Avalon and the Righteous Brothers.

Born Sept. 5, 1932, in Brooklyn, N.Y., Ingolia was a 22-year Las Vegas resident.

He was a member of the Italian-American Club of Las Vegas and the Musicians Union. He served in the Army during the Korean War.

He is survived by his wife, Kim Anne, of Las Vegas; three daughters, Christa Meek of Northridge, Calif., Cory Merrill of Canoga Park, Calif., and Carla Ingolia of Sherman Oaks, Calif.; three sons, Peter of Beverly Hills, Calif., Charles of Las Vegas and Christopher of Las Vegas; two sisters, Connie Ingolia Stevens of Los Angeles and Ava Bonamy of Pasadena, Calif.; and six grandchildren.

Visitation is 2 to 7 p.m. today at Palm Mortuary on South Jones Boulevard. Burial will be at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

The family asks that donations be made to Tourette-ADD-OCD Society of Nevada, 2301 Pommel Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89119.