Country singer-songwriter Lari White, who charted multiple hits in the 1990s, has died after a brief battle with peritoneal cancer. She was 52 years old.
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Born on May 13, 1965 in Dunedin, Fla., White grew up performing in local talent shows. In 1988, she won first prize on The Nashville Network's talent show You Can Be a Star, which included a recording contract with Capitol Records. After finding some initial success with her debut single "Flying Above the Rain," she was dropped from her contract.
After working as a backup singer for Rodney Crowell, she was signed to RCA in 1998. Her singles "What a Woman Wants," "Lay Around and Love on You" and "Lead Me Not" earned modest success on the country charts. But her career blossomed with the release of her sophomore album Wishes in 1994. Featuring her trademark hits "That's My Baby" and "Now I Know," the record was certified gold.
In the coming years, she released more music, including "Helping Me Get Over You," a duet with Travis Tritt. She also penned hits for
She also appeared in the hit films Cast Away alongside Tom Hanks and 2010's Country Strong. Most recently, White focused on songwriting and teaching her talents to a new generation of songwriters and musicians.
Lari White is survived by her husband, acclaimed songwriter Chuck Cannon, their two daughters, M'Kenzy and Kyra Ciel, and son Jaxon.
Fellow country stars and friends of White have been sharing their memories and grief over the passing of Lari White.
Woke up this morning to the awful news of the passing of friend Lari White Cannon who lost her battle with... https://t.co/MDen8LEt3I
— Anita Cochran (@TheAnitaCochran) January 23, 2018
I just heard the heartbreaking news that Lari White passed away ??? RIP Lari you are already missed but your legend lives on forever
— Jamie O'Neal (@JamieONeal) January 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/shellyfairchild/status/955861013408178178
I?m extremely saddened by the passing of my friend Lari White. She was so talented and a joy to write and record with. My heart goes out to all of Lari?s family and friends during this extremely difficult time. https://t.co/9w90keDEff
— Travis Tritt (@Travistritt) January 23, 2018
