Loray White was an American singer, dancer, and actress best known as the first wife of legendary entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. Their marriage in January 1958 attracted attention during a period when interracial relationships faced intense discrimination in Hollywood. Although their relationship ended in divorce in 1959, its unusual circumstances remain part of Davis’s personal history.
White also pursued her own entertainment career, appearing in films and working under the professional name Sonora. Her story extends beyond her brief marriage, including performances in the 1950s and screen appearances in 1970. Questions about her later life, possible death, and professional activities continue to surface because relatively little reliable information documents what happened after her final known film credits.
Loray White was an American singer, dancer, and actress who married Sammy Davis Jr. on January 10, 1958, in Las Vegas. Their marriage ended in divorce in April 1959. She also appeared in films, including The Notorious Cleopatra (1970), credited as Sonora. Her current status has not been reliably established.
Family Profile
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Loray Betty White, according to IMDb |
| Known As | Loray White; Sonora |
| Date of Birth | November 27, 1934, according to IMDb |
| Birthplace | Houston, Texas, according to IMDb |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Singer, dancer, and actress |
| Famous Former Husband | Sammy Davis Jr. |
| Marriage Date | January 10, 1958 |
| Marriage Location | Sands Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Divorce Finalized | April 23, 1959, according to IMDb |
| Known Films | The Ten Commandments (1956), The Notorious Cleopatra (1970), Miss Nymphet’s Zap-In (1970) |
| Professional Name | Sonora |
| Current Status | No reliably confirmed recent status or death date |
Who Was Loray White?
Loray White was a performer whose career included nightclub entertainment and film acting. Before becoming associated with Sammy Davis Jr., she had already worked in show business. Her professional background helps explain how the two entertainers became acquainted during the 1950s.
According to her IMDb biography, White was born on November 27, 1934, in Houston, Texas, and her birth name was Loray Betty White. IMDb also identifies Sonora as an alternative professional name. These details come from a film-industry database rather than independently located birth records.
White was working as a singer at the Silver Slipper in Las Vegas when her relationship with Davis entered a new phase. The two had previously dated, according to reporting published by Smithsonian Magazine. She was 23 years old at their wedding, while Davis was already a major nightclub and recording star.
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Loray White and Sammy Davis Jr.: Their 1958 Marriage
The marriage between Loray White and Sammy Davis Jr. took place on January 10, 1958, at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. Archival wedding photographs document the occasion, showing the couple celebrating with well-known entertainers. Harry Belafonte served as best man, while Joe E. Lewis and Donald O’Connor were among those pictured.
The wedding looked festive in photographs, but later accounts described a more complicated situation. Davis had been romantically linked to actress Kim Novak, whose career was closely controlled by Columbia Pictures. Their association developed at a time when interracial relationships could provoke serious professional and personal consequences.
A detailed Smithsonian Magazine investigation published in 2017 examined the circumstances surrounding the wedding. Drawing on recollections from Davis’s friend Arthur Silber, it reported that threats connected to Hollywood figures placed intense pressure on Davis to marry a Black woman.
Why Did Sammy Davis Jr. Marry Loray White?
According to Silber’s account, Davis chose White partly because he feared violence and wanted to end the controversy surrounding his association with Novak. Silber recalled that Davis offered White money in exchange for agreeing to marry him. The amount has been reported as between $10,000 and $25,000, rather than established through a publicly presented payment record.
This explanation has also appeared in biographical accounts of Davis. However, it should be understood primarily as a retrospective account of the circumstances, not a complete explanation of White’s own perspective. Her documented statements about the arrangement are much less readily available.
The marriage therefore illustrates more than a celebrity relationship that ended quickly. It reflects an entertainment industry in which racial prejudice could influence personal decisions, professional opportunities, and relationships. White was directly involved in that history, although most surviving accounts emphasize Davis’s experiences.
What Happened During Their Marriage?
The couple’s wedding night became the subject of a disturbing recollection from Arthur Silber. In the Smithsonian article, Silber alleged that an intoxicated and distraught Davis attempted to strangle White while they were traveling to their wedding suite. Silber said that he intervened.
This is a serious allegation based on Silber’s retrospective testimony. It should not be presented as an independently established court finding or as an allegation made publicly by White herself. Nevertheless, it forms part of the published historical account of the marriage.
The relationship deteriorated rapidly. Reports of divorce proceedings emerged by September 1958, only months after the ceremony. IMDb gives April 23, 1959, as the date their divorce became final.
Their marriage produced no publicly established children together. Subsequent accounts of Davis’s family generally identify children from his later marriages and adoptions, rather than children of his relationship with White.
Loray White’s Movies and Acting Career
White’s screen credits show that her entertainment career was not limited to the publicity surrounding her marriage. Her IMDb filmography includes appearances before and after her relationship with Davis.
One early credit is an uncredited appearance as a Nubian slave in The Ten Commandments (1956), the biblical epic directed by Cecil B. DeMille. IMDb also lists her appearing as herself in the 1956 short Lionel Hampton and Herb Jeffries.
Her better-documented later work appeared in 1970, when she was credited under the name Sonora. Her screen appearances included The Notorious Cleopatra and Miss Nymphet’s Zap-In, productions outside mainstream studio cinema.
Loray White in The Notorious Cleopatra
In The Notorious Cleopatra (1970), White played the title character under the credit Sonora. The production was a low-budget adult-oriented comedy rather than a conventional historical biography of the Egyptian queen.
The title is sometimes confused with Cleopatra (1963), the famous historical epic starring Elizabeth Taylor. These are separate productions, and White should not be credited with Taylor’s role in the earlier film.
Her appearance in the 1970 movie is significant because it documents professional activity more than a decade after her marriage ended. It also demonstrates that she maintained a separate acting identity, even though entertainment coverage has often emphasized her connection to Davis.
Life After Her Divorce From Sammy Davis Jr.
After their separation, Davis continued building his career as a singer, actor, and member of the Rat Pack. He married Swedish actress May Britt in 1960, and their marriage ended in 1968. In 1970, he married dancer Altovise Gore, remaining with her until his death in 1990.
White’s subsequent life is less extensively documented. Her 1970 screen credits establish continued professional activity, but they do not provide a complete account of her later relationships, employment, or personal circumstances.
Major obituaries of Davis, including coverage in The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times, acknowledged White as his first wife. However, those accounts concentrated primarily on Davis’s career and later family life.
White consequently occupies a distinctive place in entertainment history: she is repeatedly mentioned in biographies of a famous former husband, while detailed independent reporting about her own later years remains limited.
Is Loray White Still Alive? What Happened to Her?
Questions about whether Loray White is still alive frequently appear alongside searches for an obituary or death date. As of October 2026, the accessible reliable sources reviewed for this article do not establish whether she is living or deceased.
Some online searches associate her name with a death in 1997. However, a credible obituary, verified death record, or authoritative biographical source supporting that date has not been established. It would therefore be inaccurate to present 1997 as her confirmed year of death.
Her known entertainment credits and historical marriage records remain useful evidence of her life and career. They cannot, however, establish her current circumstances. Neither the absence of recent public appearances nor the absence of a death notice conclusively answers whether she is still living.
Why Loray White’s Story Matters
White’s marriage took place during a particularly restrictive period in American entertainment. According to Smithsonian Magazine, a 1958 Gallup poll found that only four percent of Americans approved of interracial marriage. Hollywood studio executives also exercised considerable influence over performers’ public images and personal relationships.
Against that background, Davis’s reported experience demonstrates the pressures Black entertainers faced even after achieving considerable success. His professional visibility did not protect him from threats or discriminatory attitudes.
White’s role deserves recognition without reducing her entire identity to the marriage. She was a working performer before the wedding and later appeared in films under another name. Her career records provide a more complete understanding of who she was.
Conclusion
Loray White was Sammy Davis Jr.’s first wife, but she also had an independent career as a singer, dancer, and actress. Their brief 1958–1959 marriage became part of a larger story about racial discrimination and power in Hollywood.
Her later film credits, particularly The Notorious Cleopatra, offer documented evidence of her work beyond the relationship. Although her present status remains unclear, the available historical record establishes both her connection to Davis and her own place in American entertainment history.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is Loray White still alive?
Her current status has not been reliably established. Available entertainment biographies document her marriage and screen career, but they do not provide a verified recent update or confirmed date of death.
2. When did Sammy Davis Jr. marry Loray White?
Sammy Davis Jr. married Loray White on January 10, 1958, at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. Their marriage ended in divorce on April 23, 1959, according to IMDb.
3. What movies did Loray White appear in?
Her listed credits include The Ten Commandments (1956), The Notorious Cleopatra (1970), and Miss Nymphet’s Zap-In (1970). She was credited as Sonora in her 1970 film appearances.
4. Did Loray White play Cleopatra?
Yes. She played Cleopatra in the 1970 film The Notorious Cleopatra, using the name Sonora. This should not be confused with the 1963 film Cleopatra, which starred Elizabeth Taylor.
5. Did Loray White die in 1997?
A death in 1997 has not been established by reliable biographical records or a verified obituary. Without credible documentation, the date should be treated as an unsupported online claim rather than a confirmed fact.
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