Lari White, Country Singer and ‘Cast Away’ Actress, Dies at 52 After Cancer Battle (Report)
Lari White, the country singer whose hits included “Now I Know” and “That’s My Baby,” died on Tuesday following a battle with cancer, Rolling Stone reports. She was 52.
In addition to her singing career, White was also an actress whose credits included the 2000 Tom Hanks film “Cast Away” and 2004’s “No Regrets.”
White told fans of her cancer battle in November, saying that she had been diagnosed with advanced peritoneal cancer.
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“Since then a series of complications including pain management, pneumonia and a bowel obstruction requiring emergency surgery has kept me in and out of the hospital fighting for my life,” the singer wrote in a post published to her website. “This is, of course, my focus for the foreseeable future.”
On Jan. 20, Taste of Country reported that White had been admitted to hospice care.
Born in Dunedin, Fla, White sang with her family’s gospel group, The White Family Singers, and studied vocals and music engineering at the University of Miami Frost School of Music before attracting the attention of RCA Records, which signed her to a deal. White’s breakthrough album “Wishes,” released in 1994, yielded three Top 10 country hits, including “That’s My Baby” and “Now I Know.”
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White put her musical career on hold after appearing in “Cast Away,” though she returned to the music world with the 2004 self-released album “Green Eyed Soul.”
The singer was also a cast member in the Broadway production “Ring of Fire,” and produced the Toby Keith album “White Trash With Money.”
During her career, White also won three Grammy awards, including for “Amazing Grace: A Country Salute to Gospel.”
White and her husband, songwriter Chuck Cannon, had two daughters and a son together.
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