Jack White Mourns Eddie Gillis, Who Taught Him to String a Guitar

Jack White announced on social media that his older brother, Edward “Eddie” Gillis, died on October 24, 2026, after battling cancer. White remembered Eddie as caring, funny and generous, and said everybody loved him. He also credited his brother with shaping his development as a guitarist, including teaching him how to string a guitar.

Music, Third Man and family

White, who was born John Anthony Gillis, is the youngest of 10 children. When he was young and still played only drums, Eddie was the guitarist in the family. White described his older brother as a great guitarist whose influence helped shape his own playing. The brothers continued to perform together occasionally at different points in their lives. One such appearance came during Detroit Tigers spring training in Florida, where they played with Dominic Davis on bass. Eddie’s lessons went beyond showing White how to string a guitar. He also taught him to fish on the Detroit River and drive a stick shift. Gillis later spent 10 years managing Third Man Pressing, White’s vinyl pressing plant in Detroit. The plant opened in 2017 as an extension of Third Man Records. Gillis oversaw the production of hundreds of thousands of records for Third Man artists during his time there. He also had a career as a pastry chef, running kitchens and bake shops for the Ritz-Carlton and Beaumont Hospital.

Gillis is survived by his wife, Angie, and their children, Amelia and Garrett.

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