Barry White was a multi-Grammy award-winning American singer of Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe, Practice What You Preach, You're the First, the Last, My Everything, I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby, Never, Never Gonna Give You Up and Love's Theme. White was also a prolific songwriter and producer, who had hits as a solo artist, as well as with Love Unlimited, and the Love Unlimited Orchestra. He produced the 1972 hit, Walking in the Rain With the One I Love, as well as, It May Be Winter Outside (But In My Heart It's Spring), I Feel Love Comin' On and many more.

Worldwide sales of his work as singer, songwriter or producer, now exceed 100 million copies. Among these are 20 gold singles, 10 platinum singles and dozens of gold and platinum albums.

By the 1990s, he had established himself as a pop culture icon, and unlikely sex symbol. His velvety voice -- a sensual deep bass-baritone purr -- backed by lush orchestrations, coupled with his ample girth, brought him many nicknames, such as, the Walrus of Love, Sultan of Soul, the Rotund Romeo, the Prince of Pillowtalk and Buddha of the Boudoir. His work became synonymous with seduction: "People did use my music to make love, they said I was a one-man population explosion," Barry once said.

He initially married his high school sweetheart, Betty Smith (a former actress and music teacher), had four children, and got divorced, all before the age of 21. In the early 1970s, he married Glodean James, the lead singer of Love Unlimited. They eventually separated, but never divorced. His final companion was girlfriend Catherine Denton.

Full or original name at birth: Barry Eugene Carter *

Date, time and place of birth: September 12, 1944, at 4:42 p.m.**, Galveston, Texas, U.S.A.

Date, time, place and cause of death: July 4, 2003, at 9:35 a.m., Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. (Kidney failure)

Children
Sons: Barry Jr., and Darrell
Stepson: McKevin
Daughters: La Nece, Deniece, Nina, and Shehera (sometimes spelled Shaheara)

Parents
Father: Melvin White (a machinist)
Mother: Sadie Marie Carter

Remains: He was cremated and his ashes scattered at sea in the Pacific Ocean off the Southern California coast.

* Note that the last name on his birth certificate is indeed Carter. Barry's parents never married, and at the time of his birth, his father was married to another woman. Several years later when his father discovered Carter was listed as his illegitimate son's last name, he crossed out Carter and wrote in White on the birth certificate. But he was not born "Barry Eugene White," as some sources erroneously report.

** Source: Birth certificate

NOTE: The name of his second wife is spelled Glodean James, not "Golden James," as a few sources erroneously state.

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