Loray White: Everything About Sammy Davis Jr’s Ex-wife

Loray White, a dancer, singer, and actress was the wife of the late singer, actor, comedian, and dancer Samuel George Davis Jr. Loray’s former husband Sammy is considered by many to have been the world’s greatest entertainer. His popularity helped break the race barrier of the segregated entertainment industry. He was the son of American dancers Sammy Davis Sr. and Elvera Sanchez.

Loray White: Bio Summary

Who Is Sammy Davis Jr’s Ex-wife, Loray White?

Loray White is the woman who comes into the spotlight because she has been romantically linked with Sammy Davis Jr, a popular singer, actor, comedian, and dancer. She is also known as Sonora. Loray was reportedly born on November 27, 1934, in Texas, Houston to Harold White and Joyce Mae Mills. She is an American by nationality and her ethnicity is African-American.

Loray White may not be the only child of her parents but nothing is known about her siblings. Much is unknown regarding her early life, relatives, and family background. She attended Sawyer Business School and the University of California. She became a professional dancer. She has been credited as an actress, per her IMDb page.

Loray White was uncredited for her role as Nubian Slave in The Ten Commandments. She is known for her work in The Notorious Cleopatra (1970), and Miss Nymphet’s Zap-In (1970). She appeared as herself in Lionel Hampton and Herb Jeffries (1956). She was also a singer and she worked at the Silver Slipper. She has a daughter, Deborah DeHart White.

Loray White was a 23-year-old who was a divorcee and a mother. She met and got involved in a romantic relationship with Sammy Davis Jr. Sammy Jr decided to marry Loray just to protect himself from mob violence. Their marriage was arranged. He even offered Loray White a lump sum ($10,000 or $25,000) to marry him and act as his wife. The condition was that their marriage would be dissolved before the end of the year.

Loray agreed to the contract marriage and accepted the offer. The two got married in January 1958, in Las Vegas, in a ceremony that was attended by friends and family. During the wedding ceremony, Loray White and Sammy Davis Jr drank out of an “oversized martini glass beside a tiered cake with the word “Happiness” written on it,” sources say.

ALSO, READ: Altovise Davis: What Happened To Sammy Davis Jr’s Wife?

However, Sammy Jr got drunk and he even attempted to strangle his newly wedded wife Loray. Arthur Silber Jr., Sammy Jr’s personal assistant found Sammy Jr with a gun to his head. Arthur Jr said: “I walked back into the bedroom just as he was putting a gun to his head. I jumped on him…and I got the gun away from him. Then I sat on him with my knees on his shoulders until he passed out.”

Arthur Jr also said that Sammy Davis Jr “was so hurt. His quote to me, as he ripped my coat apart at the shoulder, was, ‘Why won’t they let me live my life?’” Loray White and Sammy Davis Jr are said to have never lived together although they married. Their marriage didn’t last long. The news of the two getting divorced was circulating by September.

Loray filed for a divorce on grounds of mental cruelty. They started their divorce proceedings in September 1958 and the divorce was finalized in April 1959. Sammy Jr is said to have agreed to pay Loray White $10,000 in cash and also to pay $17,000 for accumulated bills. They had no children together. After the divorce, Sammy Davis Jr married Swedish actress May Britt (born May Britt Wilkens) on 13 November 1960.

Their wedding caused controversy. They had one daughter and two sons. Their daughter is Tracey Davis (July 5, 1961 – November 2, 2020), and their two sons, Mark and Jeff were adopted. Sammy Davis Jr and May Britt’s marriage ended on December 19, 1968, after Sammy confessed to cheating on May with singer, dancer, and actress Lola Falana.

Sammy Jr then married his third wife Altovise Joanne Davis (née Gore). Altovise Davis was an entertainer and dancer. She became Sammy Jr’s wife after they got married on May 11, 1970. During their marriage, they adopted a son, Manny, in 1989. They remained married until Sammy Jr passed away, five days after their 20th wedding anniversary.

However, after Sammy Davis Jr and Loray White got divorced, it is unknown if Loray remarried or dated anyone. She worked as an entertainer writer at Los Angeles Community News from 1970 to 1981. She established her PR company, LBW & Associates Public Relations in 1980. Loray served as the director and producer of LBW production “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, Los Angeles” from 1981 to 2005. In 1999, she worked with the Columbia Broadcasting System news department.

ALSO, READ: Mark Sydney Davis: Truth About Sammy Davis Jr’s Son

Where Is Sammy Davis Jr’s Ex-wife Loray White Now?

Sammy Davis Jr’s former wife Loray White vanished from the spotlight after her marriage to Sammy Jr came to an end. Her whereabouts are unavailable. It is unknown if she is still alive as of 2023 or has passed away. Her ex-husband Sammy Jr died on May 16, 1990, at age 64, in Beverly Hills, California, U.S. He died of complications from throat cancer. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, USA.