William Luke White

William Luke White, age 45, passed away peacefully on the morning of April 18, 2025, surrounded by his family after a nearly six-year battle with brain cancer. Luke faced his illness with resilience and with the support of his loving family and friends.

Born in Memphis on August 17, 1979, Luke was a lifelong Memphian. As a young boy, he spent formative years in the Memphis Church of Christ community. Luke attended Grahamwood Elementary then transferred to Harding Academy Elementary for 4th grade through middle school. At Harding he sang in the school choir and began to discover a passion for music alongside many friends who he continued to evolve his talent and perform with for years to come.

He also had a love for baseball and basketball from a young age and was an exceptional pitcher. Notably, Luke was an avid Memphis Tigers and Grizzlies fan.

Luke graduated from Ridgeway High School in 1998 and attended Middle Tennessee State University. Simultaneously, he continued to hone his musical skills as a guitarist, singer, and songwriter. It rapidly became clear that music was more than a passion for Luke – it was his calling. He not only possessed immense creativity and talent as a guitarist but was most well known as a world-class singer.

After some time in Nashville, Boston, and New York City, he returned to his roots in Memphis where he went on to create music with his band, The Coach and Four and collaborate with many others. He embarked upon and released his only solo album in 2020 under his name “William Luke White.”

Over the course of a 20+ year career as a singer, songwriter, and lead guitarist, he became a fixture in both touring circuits and recording studios. His talent and creative spirit took him across the United States, Canada, and Europe, where he collaborated with a wide range of artists including Colour Revolt, Snowglobe, and Spiral Stairs. He built a legacy that will endure through the music he made and the lives he touched. Luke will be remembered not only for his extraordinary vocals and musical gifts, but also for his strength, warmth, kindness, and the generosity and acceptance he showed to everyone he met.

Luke was preceded in death by his dog, Quentin, and is survived by his parents, Kenny and Pam White, his three siblings, Maggie Day and her husband Stephen Day, Andy, Terry and his wife Ali, and nieces and nephews Ellsie, Elian, and Elora.