Soul singer Barry White, known for his rich bass vocals, died today (July 4) in a Los Angeles hospital at the age of 58, his manager Ned Shankman said. Shankman said White, a two-time Grammy winner, died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles where he had been battling kidney failure brought on by high blood pressure. He suffered a stroke in May.
White had been hoping to regain enough strength to undergo a kidney transplant, his daughter Shaheara White said in May.
With smoky ballads like “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love” and “You’re the First, The Last, My Everything,” White provided the soundtrack to countless candlelight dinners and late-night trysts.
He also found success as a composer, a conductor of instrumental recordings and as the producer of the female vocal trio Love Unlimited.
The so-called “The Doctor of Love” achieved pop icon status as a romantic mentor in the hit TV series “Ally McBeal” and on the animated TV series “The Simpsons.?
White won two Grammys in 2000 for best male and traditional R&B vocal performance for the song “Staying Power,” the title track from his 1999 Private Music album of the same name. His last release was the two-disc “Ultimate Collection,” issued by Universal in 2000. The set debuted at No. 98 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
White, a native of Galveston, Texas, is survived by eight children and his companion, Catherine Denton.
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