Jack White's Brother Eddie Gillis Dies at 60
Eddie Gillis, the older brother of musician Jack White, has died after a battle with cancer. White announced the death in an Instagram post on Saturday, 24 October, writing that Gillis died that morning. The Detroit News reported that Gillis was 60.
Gillis ran Third Man Pressing, a record-pressing plant where vinyl albums are made, for ten years. The plant opened in 2017 in Detroit's Cass Corridor as part of Third Man Records, the label and business White is connected with. Billboard reported the plant's history and Gillis's role in running it.
His path there was not a direct one. Before taking the job, Gillis worked as a pastry chef, running kitchens and bake shops for the Ritz-Carlton and Beaumont Hospital. The Ritz-Carlton he worked at was in Dearborn. He had no background in record pressing or manufacturing when he was hired. According to the Detroit News, he got the job because he could work well with others and lead a team.
At the plant, he made small sculptures and flowers out of vinyl scraps. He also played guitar when he was younger, and he played music with his younger brother when Jack was still mainly a drummer. Jack White was the youngest of ten siblings. Eddie was the eighth. He taught Jack how to string a guitar, how to fish on the Detroit River, and how to drive a stick shift.
Ben Blackwell, Jack White's nephew and business partner, is Gillis's godson. Gillis is survived by his wife, Angie, and their two children, Amelia and Garrett.
Third Man Pressing is where records are made for other people to play. The people who knew Gillis best will remember him for the rest of their lives, and the family has not announced any funeral or memorial plans.
