Kent Whites

Kent Whites, 62 passed away at Texas Harris Hospital in Fort Worth on Saturday, April 6, 2019. He was born Alan Kent Whites on March 2, 1957 in Oxnard, California to Otis & Callie Whites. Service: 3:00 P.M. Tuesday April 9, 2019, Wiley Funeral Home Chapel.

Kent began his career in theater at age six. He was first seen on the stages of Fort Worth performing lead roles for Casa Manana Theater, Hip Pocket Theatre and The Acting Company performing and directing shows for the Holiday Ranch Dinner Theatre. Kent was seen in the tv series Hart to Hart, Second Family Tree, and Finders of Lost Lovers.

He was a member of the original Fort Worth Ballet before moving to New York where he attended The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in addition to The Harkness House School of Ballet, The Melissa Hayden School of Ballet, The Robert Denever’s School of Ballet, The Maggie Black Ballet School, and The American Ballet Theatre School.

Kent was the Artistic Director of the Dallas Ballet Youth Ensemble and The New York Ballet Company. He choreographed ballets for The Baltimore Ballet, The Virginia Ballet, The Baltimore Dance Theater, The Manhattan Opera, The Dallas Ballet Company, The Chamberlin Ballet, and Ballet Dallas where he was the resident choreographer.

As a dancer, he appeared with The Puerto Rican Dance Theater, Baltimore Ballet, St. Louis Ballet, Los Angeles Ballet, Albuquerque Ballet, and Dallas Ballet performing on stages all across the United States and abroad in France, Italy and Japan.

Upon moving to Granbury, Kent served on the Granbury Opera House Renovation Committee and was a member of Granbury’s Tourism Advisory Board. He also served as the President/ Chairman of the Board for The Granbury Theatre Company and later as GTC’s Artistic Director where he produced, directed and choreographed Ghost, To Kill A Mockingbird, Spamalot, The Odd Couple, Wait Until Dark, Legally Blonde, Driving Miss Daisy, 1776, Godspell, and Romance/Romance. While there, he also enjoyed playing the lead roles of Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple, George Bailey in It’s A Wonderful Life, Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, and John Adams in 1776.

Kent was preceded in death by his parents Callie and Otis Whites.

His three children, Callie, Gabriel and Mercy Whites along with former spouse and mother of his children Teresa LaBarbera, survive Kent. A brother Barry Whites, sister in law Michele and nephews Chase and Mason Whites also survive him along with aunts and uncles David & Valrie Watson, Bob & Laneta Watson, Noel Watson, Daisy Rienhart, Jim & Lily Watson and numerous cousins and friends in addition to his beloved dog Khaleesi and lifelong companion, an African Grey parrot Elliot.