Respected International Tour Manager Cliff Whyte Has Passed Away

A long-serving tour manager for several international sojourns featuring some of the world's best-known names, Clifton 'Cliff' Whyte, has passed away following a short but intense illness, his family has confirmed.

According to an official statement from his family (written by Whyte's wife's brother-in-law Keven Oxford), Cliff passed away last Monday, 21 November, only 10 days after returning home in the wake of becoming seriously unwell while working abroad in South Africa.

He was diagnosed with stage-four pancreatic cancer — which also claimed his brother, Everall, in 2014 — on 12 October, as the disease "arrived without warning, snuffed out a soul quickly, and left loved ones dazed and confused".

He passed away surrounded by his family, including siblings Sandra and Lesleyn, as well as cousin Cyril, who flew to Australia from London to be with him.

Whyte was born in Birmingham and, with his West Indian heritage, developed deep ties to the Jamaican community there. His love of the Afro-Caribbean culture never waned, with Whyte even saying his frequent stomping ground of Byron Bay reminded him of Jamaica, "but without the Jamaicans", Oxford said. 

It was on a tour to Australia in 1989 with soul veterans De La Soul — who visited the ailing tour manager at his bedside on their recent local tour — that Whyte's life would be fundamentally changed, when he met his wife-to-be, Kylie. The pair moved to London in 1994, thriving in the UK music industry for the next five years. They returned to Australia in 1999, when Kylie became the in-house publicist for Bluesfest, an event with which Whyte would develop a close working relationship over the ensuing years in his capacity as a tour manager.

Across the board, it was a brilliant run, too, with Whyte having cared for the likes of Afro-funk legend Fela Kuti, rage-rap pioneers Public Enemy, the incomparably incendiary Ice Cube, soul icons The Fugees, hip hop vets Cypress Hill and more, including Coolio and Snoop Dogg, over the course of his remarkable career, and even working as an artist manager, looking after Logan City-bred beat-boxer Joel Turner.

"Although Cliff's love of Black soul ran deep, his heart was open to all great music, regardless of skin colour," Oxford wrote.

So broad was Cliff's renown that his son, Brisbane-based rapper Levi Whyte, recounted being contacted by Flavor Flav following his father's passing. "Words can't explain how much he is loved and respected around the world," Levi wrote. "For me to get a phone call today from Flavor Flav telling me stories about when they toured together is surreal.

"I couldn't have wished for a better father at all, and I promise to continue his legacy."

Cliff is survived by his wife, Kylie, his children Levi, Isabella and India, and his newborn granddaughter, Hartley.

His family and friends will be celebrating his life and achievements at the Bangalow A&I Hall from 1pm this Thursday, 1 December.

A PeoplePledge crowdfunding campaign has been set up to aid with the Whyte family's medical bills; if you'd like to donate, you can do so here.