Barry White

American musician, composer, and producer born on September 12, 1944, in Galveston, Texas, died on July 4, 2003, in Los Angeles, California. He began his career as a pianist and played on Jesse Belvin's R&B hit "Goodnight My Love". At the age of 11, White made several recordings under his own name as "Barry Lee" and as a member of The Upfronts, The Atlanties, and The Majestics. Although White had some success as a solo artist, he found greater success as a background figure and manager of other artists, including Felice Taylor and Viola Wills. In 1969, he founded Love Unlimited, a female vocal trio consisting of Diane Taylor, Glodean James (his future wife), and her sister Linda. He also founded the Love Unlimited Orchestra, a 40-piece ensemble to accompany himself and the vocal trio, providing music direction, composition, and arrangement. At the beginning of the new millennium, White's health began to deteriorate, and he died on July 4, 2003, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 58 from kidney failure.