Daniel Balsz, who was responsible for creating the fabled “The Tikis” in Monterey Park and Lake Elsinore, passed away on August 5, 2005 at age 79. Balsz had been living in Las Vegas, and died in his home. At its zenith, The Tikis was an unrivalled spectacle of nighttime entertainment, with active volcanoes and a massive dance troupe entertaining hundreds nightly. Balsz lost his first Tikis location due to a divorce brought on by a dalliance with one of his hula maidens, and a second location never really quite materialized, being used in recent years as a paint ball course.

• Daniel Balsz [Los Angeles Times Obituaries]
• I didn’t know Daniel Balsz passed away!? [Tiki Central]
• The Tikis, Monterey Park [Critiki]
• The Tikis, Lake Elsinore [Critiki]