White was 5 years old when he was kidnapped in Ukiah by child molester Kenneth Parnell. Two weeks later, fellow kidnap victim 14-year-old Steven Stayner fled with the boy, known as "Timmy," and hitchhiked to safety.
The dramatic story was told in the 1989 television movie, "I Know My First Name is Steven."
Parnell died in prison in 2008. Stayner, who was held captive by Parnell for seven years, died in a 1989 motorcycle crash.
White's stepfather, Roger Gitlin, says White died of an apparent pulmonary embolism. He was buried Thursday in the town of Newhall, where he had worked as a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy.
