Barry White was an American record producer and singer responsible for the creation of numerous hit soul and disco songs. He conducted the Love Unlimited Orchestra, which consisted of live musicians, including string and percussion players. Records featuring White's deep bass voice and suave delivery were often used by couples wishing to create a romantic ambience. He was often affectionately referred to as the "Maestro" and "Walrus of Love" or "The Man with the Velvet Voice". All inclusive record sales of White's music with singles, albums, compilation usage and paid digital downloads as a singer, songwriter and producer now exceed 100 million world-wide. White began a musical career at the dawn of the 1960s in singing groups before going out on his own in the middle of the decade. The marginal success he had to that point was as a songwriter; his songs were recorded by rock singer Bobby Fuller and TV bubblegum act The Banana Splits. He was also responsible in 1963 for arranging "Harlem Shuffle" for Bob & Earl, which became a hit in the UK in 1969. In 1969, he got his break backing up three talented singers in a girl group called Love Unlimited. White produced, wrote and arranged the classic soul ballad "Walking in the Rain (With The One I Love)", which hit the Top 20 of the pop charts. The group would score more hits throughout the '70s and White eventually married the lead singer of the group, Glodean James. Luciano Pavarotti and Barry White performing a duet at a fundraising concert in Modena, Italy, May 29, 2001 While working on a few demos for a male singer, the record label suggested White step out in front of the microphone. He reluctantly agreed and the rest is history. His hits included "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby" (1973), "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up" (1973), "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" (1974), "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" (1974), "What Am I Gonna Do With You" (1975), "Let the Music Play" (1976), "Your Sweetness is My Weakness" (1978), "Change" (1982), "Sho' You Right" (1987), and "Practice What You Preach" (1994), among others. He had been ill with chronically high blood pressure for some time, which resulted in renal failure in the autumn of 2002. He suffered a stroke in May 2003, after which he was forced to retire from public life. On July 4, 2003, he died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in West Hollywood. White was 58. His death was reported as being from renal failure. White was cremated, and his ashes were scattered by his family off the California coast. Barry White's last words on his death bed were, "Leave me alone - I'm fine".