John I. White; Lonesome Cowboy of Radio’s ‘Death Valley Days’

John I. White, 90, the singing Lonesome Cowboy of the old radio show “Death Valley Days,” one of radio’s earliest and most enduring adventure series. As the voice of the Lonesome Cowboy, White sang between acts of “Death Valley Days” during the 1920s and ‘30s. The series, which went off the air in 1945, was noted for its historical accuracy. It was based on true stories of the Old West, gleaned from research and extensive travels by the show’s producer, Ruth C. Woodman. The show later moved to television, where the hosts included Ronald Reagan. White, who was written out of the series in the 1930s, also recorded an album of cowboy songs for the American Record Corp. and wrote several books about cowboy songs and the people who wrote them. His most famous book was “Git Along Little Dogies” in 1975. He also wrote articles about cowboys for such magazines as American Heritage, Arizona Highways and Highlights for Children. In Maplewood, N.J., on Thursday of heart disease.