The Sinatra Karaoke Killings

In May 2007, a young Filipino man named Rami Baligola stepped up to sing at the Julyville KTV bar in San Mateo. He chose Frank Sinatra's "My Way." An off-duty security guard named Robbie Leto Ortega began heckling him for singing off-key. Baligola kept going. Around the halfway point, Ortega pulled a .38-caliber pistol and shot him fatally in the chest. Another off-duty officer in the bar disarmed and arrested the shooter immediately. But this was not the first time someone had been killed over a karaoke rendition of Sinatra's American classic—and tragically, it would not be the last.

Since 2000, there have been at least seven violent attacks against Filipinos singing or about to sing "My Way," with some journalists estimating the number closer to twelve. Many resulted in death by gunshot or stab wounds. No other song on record has caused so much individual violence anywhere in the world.

The Pattern of Violence

The earliest documented case occurred in October 2000 at King's Videochi Bar in a Manila suburb. Just after midnight, 46-year-old Hermihilda Calleo was singing "My Way" to an audience of six when someone stood up and stabbed him multiple times. He died on arrival at the hospital. The Philippine Star article about his death began with the words: "Another man fell victim to the song My Way."