Former Lynyrd Skynyrd back-up singer Deborah Jo White, a.k.a. “Jo Jo Billingsley,” died Thursday morning at her Cullman home after a bout with cancer. She was 58 years old.

White toured with Lynyrd Skynyrd in the 1970s, before departing the Florida-based band in August 1977. She was invited to rejoin the group two months later, and soon warned the band about not flying, after having a dream the band’s plane crashed. It did on Oct. 20, 1977, killing lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and others.

White also performed with The Honkettes, a nickname given to a group of Skynyrd back-up singers, participating in a tour that included some former Lynyrd Skynyrd band members.

After moving to Cullman in the 1980s, White became a minister and Christian singer.

In 2006, she sang with all the original surviving members when Lynyrd Skynyrd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

She has been interviewed and featured in numerous magazines and publications across the nation — and was recently the subject of a Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) television news feature.

Lead singer of the current incarnation of the Lynyrd Skynyrd band Johnny Van Zant,  younger brother to the late Ronnie, said White would be deeply missed.

“She has been a part of the Skynyrd family for a long time, and to hear of another one going on was a tough thing,” he said. “I know she believed in God, and her heart was in the right place, so I‘m sure she’s in a great place today. From the Skynyrd family to her family, I’d just like to say God bless.”

Van Zant said he had hoped to meet White at a nearby concert earlier this month, though she missed the show due to illness.

“I had talked to her a few weeks back, and she was going to come out and see us in Birmingham,” he said. “But, I never heard from her, then got a call from a friend of hers later on saying she was in the hospital. I just hated to hear that.”

Bruce Walls, who performed with White and managed her personal website, said her kind spirit is what he’ll remember most.

“She touched a lot of people with her music and her ministry,” he said. “She was there for every benefit show, ready to perform, and you didn’t have to ask her. The world is going to miss her. ”

Though she is remembered by most for her career with Lynyrd Skynyrd, White is best known by Cullman County residents for her work as a local minister and Christian singer.

After leaving the music business around 1980, White eventually moved to Cullman and soon steeped herself in local ministry.

“I needed that peace and the mercy of God enveloped me,” White said in a 1996 interview with The Times, recounting when she became a Christian. “God not only forgave me. I left there a new person.”

Longtime friend Martha Burchell said White had a profound impact on her life.

“She sang everywhere, was always giving her testimony, and even became a licensed minister,” she said. She has also been invited to about every local school to speak and give her testimony … She entered into the presence of the Lord this morning, and that was where she wanted to be.”

Burchell said she met White after welcoming her to town in the 1980s, while she was looking for a singer to provide entertainment at a church event.

“I walked in her house, saw all her gold records, and asked if she was a movie star,” Burchell said with a laugh. “I was in charge of getting entertainment for the Valentine’s Day banquet at Hopewell Baptist Church, so I asked her to sing. Her ministry started there, and before long she was singing for the Lord all over the county.”

After knowing each other for more than 25 years, Burchell said she grew to consider White one of her closest friends.

“She was just an awesome friend, who has been true in the good times and the bad times,” she said. “I just can’t say enough about her as a friend and as a great, spiritual woman of God. She would always be praying for you.”

Though she had accolades from her music career, friend Carla Hart said White was never more excited than when discussing faith, friends and family.

“We would sit and talk for hours about her life when she was with Lynyrd Skynyrd, and how she traveled around the world singing,” she said. “But, the best part of our conversations were about our families, and how much she loved sharing the gospel with others. She has touched many lives through her singing ministry and will never be forgotten … We all know she is leading the biggest choir of angels now, singing praises and watching over us daily. ”

Wayne Barnett, pastor of New Life Worship Center in Holly Pond, said White’s ministry extended far beyond just music.

“She did a lot of ministry over the phone, and would always pray with people over the phone,” he said. “She was one of the only people we knew, who you could make a phone call, and could hear a smile on the other end of the line. She was one who utilized the talents God gave her, and she blessed so many different people in so many different ways.”

Check out an upcoming edition of The Times for a full obituary, or see http://www.jojobillingsley.net for arrangement information.

* Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 225.