Ronald "Ronny" Whyte

Ronald "Ronny" Whyte of Milford died peacefully on August 19, 2025 at Karen Ann Quinlan Home for Hospice, Fredon Township. He was 88 years old.

The son of the late Clare and Rodney Bangerter, he was born May 12, 1937 in Seattle Washington.

Ronny Whyte spent his first six years in a log cabin built by his father on the outskirts of Seattle, where he petted deer and beavers on his way to the outhouse-a stark contrast to the world he later inhabited.

He was regarded as a premier interpreter of Classic American Popular Song, an exceptional jazz pianist, and a accomplished songwriter. He was featured on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on NPR.

An ASCAP Award-winning songwriter, his lyric Forget the Woman was recorded by Tony Bennett, and his music for The Party Upstairs won the MAC Award for Best Song of 2006.

He produced and hosted Midday Jazz Midtown at Saint Peter's in Manhattan, a weekly concert series.

For two years, Ronny performed Off-Broadway in the hit musical Our Sinatra and joined its two national big band tours, which visited over 90 cities. He was featured twice at New York's JVC Jazz Festival, where he was inducted into the Cabaret Jazz Hall of Fame.

The Ronny Whyte Trio performed in concert at Carnegie/Weill Hall, New York's Town Hall, Washington's Corcoran Gallery, and the Mellon Jazz Festival in Philadelphia. Ronny had major engagements in New York at the Café Carlyle, Rainbow & Stars, the Oak Room at the Algonquin, and Feinstein's at the Regency.

Internationally, he starred in Paris, Tokyo, Tel Aviv, Sao Paolo, Caracas, and Johannesburg.

Ronny frequently made guest appearances with symphony orchestras, performing his arrangement of Porgy & Bess for Jazz Trio & Orchestra and other Gershwin works. In theater, he played diverse roles such as Bobby in Company, Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Joey in Pal Joey, and Vernon in They're Playing Our Song.

Mr. Whyte recorded eleven CDs for Audiophile; his CD All in a Night's Work was selected as "Jazz Album of the Week" by the New York Times. Originally from Seattle, he divided his time between the New York area and his house in Milford, Pennsylvania. When not performing or writing, he was an avid tennis player, gardener, and gourmet cook.

In addition to his parents Ronny was predeceased in life by his husband John Kevin Burns whom he shared for over forty years.

Ronny leaves behind cherished friends Ben Cassara and Dixie Rich.

Services are private, cremation to take place at MacLennan Hall Crematorium, Milford.