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Entertainment - AP Music

Singer Barry White in 'Great Spirits'
Sat May 17, 9:06 PM ET


LOS ANGELES - Singer Barry White (news) is "in great spirits" as he recovers from a stroke that affected his speech and the right side of his body, his daughter said Friday.


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White, 58, suffered the stroke while waiting for a kidney transplant needed because of complications from years of chronic high blood pressure.


Shaherah White said her father must be stabilized before he can undergo a transplant operation.


"My dad had surgery May 1 to place a catheter in his arm," she said. "He had a stroke ... that affected his speech and the right side of his body, but he is in great spirits."


The deep-voiced White was hospitalized in August 1999 for a blood pressure problem that forced him to cancel several performances. He was undergoing dialysis treatment to stabilize his condition.


"He's had a minor setback, but have no fear, he'll be fine," Shaherah White said. "He will definitely be performing again."


She spoke at a news conference on plans to rename South Park Recreation Center after her father, who grew up in that section of Los Angeles.


White, whose popularity reached a peak in the 1970s, won two Grammys (news - web sites) in 2000 for best male and traditional R&B vocal performance for the song "Staying Power."