Getty Jeffrey Sanker of White Party
Jeffrey Sanker, the founder of the White Party Entertainment Inc. and a legendary visionary of the gay party circuit, is dead at the age of 65.
What is his cause of death? How did Sanker die? Jeffrey Sanker died of liver cancer. According to The Los Angeles Blade, Sanker was known for throwing massive parties in “exotic places.”
Sanker was especially well known in the gay party circuit; his company was based in Los Angeles, Califonia. Tributes flowed on social media. “RIP @JeffreySanker. You were one of a kind and irreplaceable,” wrote one person on Twitter.
Here’s what you need to know:
Sanker Died ‘After a Long Battle With Liver Cancer’
Rest On the dancefloor #whiteparty Icon, Jeffrey Sanker. Merci beaucoup. 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍 🕊 t.co/BimWumPd77
According to the Blade, Sanker died Friday, May 28, 2021, at Cedars-Sinai Hospital “with family members in attendance after a long battle with liver cancer.”
His website biography rounded up the accolades he received over the years. “The MIAMI HERALD dubbed him ‘the high priest of gay parties.’ GENRE MAGAZINE lists him as ‘Circuit Master.’ NEXT MAGAZINE describes him as ‘the sultan of soirees.’ And CIRCUIT NOIZE MAGAZINE simply calls him ‘the man,’” it says.
“Sanker has been credited by the MIAMI HERALD as being ‘the father of the modern gay event party.’ Nowhere is this more evident than with Sanker’s trademark extravaganza: White Party Palm Springs, which has evolved into the nation’s largest gay dance music festival, attracting more than 30,000 attendees from every corner of the globe.”
He faced difficulties in getting the gay party circuit off the ground. “We had huge opposition for the first 10 to 15 years. We would have to go before the city council for permits, and there was always a member against the event. I had to fight that, as well as people picketing and protesting at the event,” Sanker once told Palm Springs Life.
Over the years, he was noted for spotting rising talent, like Lady Gaga. “All I can tell you is that we’ve had such acts as Lady Gaga, Mary J. Blige, and JLo in the past, and we’re hoping for more people of that caliber this year. We’re also planning 15 minutes of synchronized fireworks,” he told Palm Springs Life.
Sanker Was Known for Throwing Massive Bashes, Drawing From His Experience in the 1980s in New York City at Venues like Studio 54
Jeffrey Sanker WebsiteA flyer for a Sanker event
According to the bio, Jeffrey Sanker “is the founder of LA-based White Party Entertainment, Inc. and creator of such signature events as WHITE PARTY PALM SPRINGS; New Year’s Eve celebrations in Los Angeles, Miami & Rio de Janeiro and the One Mighty Party at Orlando’s Gay Days.”
The bio says he got his start in the 1980s.
“Sanker’s passion for parties began during the early eighties in New York City,” it reads. “Working at such legendary locations as Studio 54, Palladium and Private Eyes, he fine-tuned his skills as a promoter and special event producer. He has hosted parties for numerous celebrities over the years.”
Sanker moved to Los Angeles in 1987. “His innovative technique of using landmark venues for trend-setting themed events was credited for breathing new life into the Los Angeles scene. Since then, he has worked with all of the hottest and trendiest venues and nightclubs in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Miami,” says the bio.
READ NEXT: James Brian Chadwell Investigated as Possible Suspect in Notorious Delphi Murders of 2 Girls