He was born "Louis R. Lataif-Litif", and carried the nicknames "Little Louis" and "Disco Louie". He was the son of Shiite Francophone-Lebanese parents who were immigrants from what was then known as the Lebanese Republic. His family surname Litif is a derivation of the Qur'anic Sufis verses; virtually all the Sufis distinguish the Lataif-as-Sitta, otherwise referred to as the six subtleties; which are made of Nafs, Qalb, Sirr, Ruh, Khafi, and Akhfa. His last name was shortened and Americanized upon his parents' arrival in America. Louis' parents emigrated from Lebanon in 1934 after France took over the colony. They settled in Somerville, Massachusetts, where Litif was born. He married a woman named Anne who bore him two children, a daughter Luanne, and son Lee.