’90s country artist Lari White has entered hospice care, the singer’s mother revealed on Friday (Jan. 19). White has been battling cancer since the fall of 2017.
In November, White revealed that, at the end of September, she had been diagnosed with advanced peritoneal cancer. She spent the fall dealing with “a series of complications, including pain management, pneumonia and a bowel obstruction requiring emergency surgery,” all of which had her “in and out of the hospital, fighting for my life.” On Jan. 14, White’s mother, Yvonne White, shared via CaringBridge that her daughter would be undergoing a new round of treatments, and was hopeful that they would be successful; however, White was never able to begin the treatments, and on Thursday night (Jan. 18), White entered hospice in Nashville.
“She has all the care she needs to make her comfortable and quiet for this part of the journey, and where she is completely surrounded by loving family …,” White’s mother writes. “We have been able to be there for her … to pray, to sing, to read to her, to love on her … and each other. Her sister (an experienced Hospice Chaplain from Seattle) was able to spend the night with her.”
Born in Dunedin, Fla., on May 13, 1965, White first rose to fame on You Can Be a Star, a talent competition that aired on the Nashville Network. As a child, she sang in her family’s gospel group, the White Family Singers, and as the first-place contestant on the TV singing competition, White won a Capitol Records recording contract.
White was dropped from Capitol after her first single, “Flying Above the Rain,” did not perform well, but she signed with RCA Records in 1992. Her debut disc with the label, 1993’s Lead Me Not, was produced by Rodney Crowell. White’s hit singles include “Now I Know,” “That’s My Baby” and more.
White’s major-label recording career ended in the late 1990s, but she continued to work as a songwriter (Danny Gokey‘s “I Will Not Say Goodbye”) and a producer (Toby Keith‘s White Trash With Money). Additionally, she acted in the movie Cast Away and was a cast member in the original Broadway production of Ring of Fire, among other roles.
“[Lari is] ‘something else’ … wise and funny, intelligent and super-talented … so loving, kind and compassionate … with a heart as big as all of Heaven,” her mother writes. “I have never known a person who did not love her and respect her, as evidenced by the great outpouring of love and concern of so many people.”
White is married to songwriter Chuck Cannon; together, they have three children. Because their careers have been interrupted due to White’s diagnosis, a GoFundMe is raising funds to help with her medical expenses. As of publication time, the campaign has raised more than $87,000 (of its $100,000 goal).
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