Current:Home > MyGary Wright, 'Dream Weaver' and 'Love is Alive' singer, dies at 80 after health battle: Reports -AssetLink
Gary Wright, 'Dream Weaver' and 'Love is Alive' singer, dies at 80 after health battle: Reports
View
Date:2025-04-16 09:59:48
Singer-songwriter Gary Wright, best known for his groundbreaking album "The Dream Weaver," has died. He was 80.
Wright died Monday at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, his sons Justin and Dorian confirmed to ABC News and Variety, respectively.
Wright’s son Justin told ABC News that his father had been battling Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia for the past six years.
USA TODAY has reached out to Wright's representative for comment.
Born in April 1943 in New Jersey, Wright found some success as the keyboardist for the British hard rock band Spooky Tooth. Following the group's disbandment, Wright devoted his efforts to his solo music career, releasing the albums "Extraction" and "Footprint" in 1970 and 1971, respectively.
Wright’s 1975 album "The Dream Weaver" became his breakthrough hit, boasting a pair of No. 2 singles in 1976: "Dream Weaver" and "Love is Alive." The soft rock album was also recognized as one of the first rock albums to feature only synthesizers.
"It was a big deal creatively because I had been working with basically a guitar-oriented band, which was Spooky Tooth," Wright told The Daytona Beach News-Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, in 2011. "I had never consciously sat down and said, 'I'm going to do an all-keyboard album.' It just fell into place as I was writing the songs for the album."
The album went on to sell 2 million copies, and its title track "Dream Weaver" has been featured in films such as as "Wayne's World, "The People vs. Larry Flynt" and "Toy Story 3."
Wright also lent his musical talents to his peers. The singer played keyboards on Beatles guitarist George Harrison's 1970 album "All Things Must Pass."
Steve Harwell:Former Smash Mouth singer dies at 56: 'A 100% full-throttle life'
'He lived his life like a song':Jimmy Buffett, 'Margaritaville' singer and mogul, dies
Contributing: Rick De Yampert, The Daytona Beach News-Journal
veryGood! (91)
Related
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- Militants with ties to the Islamic State group kill 10 people in Uganda’s western district
- Storm slams East Coast with wind-swept rain flooding streets, delaying travel: Live updates
- FDA database that tracks heart device harms may miss red flags, safety experts warn
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Mason Rudolph will get the start at QB for struggling Steelers in Week 15 vs. Bengals
- James McCaffrey, voice actor of 'Max Payne' games and 'Rescue Me' star, dies at 65
- Google to pay $700M in antitrust settlement reached with states before recent Play Store trial loss
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- Texas police: Suspect hit pedestrian mistaken for a deer, drove 38 miles with body in car
Ranking
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- The terms people Googled most in 2023
- Texas police: Suspect hit pedestrian mistaken for a deer, drove 38 miles with body in car
- Best Believe the Chiefs Co-Owners Gifted Taylor Swift a Bejeweled Birthday Present
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- Stock market today: World shares are mostly higher as Bank of Japan keeps its lax policy intact
- Colorado releases first 5 wolves in reintroduction plan approved by voters to chagrin of ranchers
- Israel finds large tunnel near Gaza border close to major crossing
Recommendation
DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
Expect higher unemployment and lower inflation in 2024, says Congressional Budget Office
Texas police: Suspect hit pedestrian mistaken for a deer, drove 38 miles with body in car
YouTuber Ruby Franke Pleads Guilty in Child Abuse Case
Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
EPA Begins a Review Process That Could Bring an End to Toxic, Flammable Vinyl Chloride
Kate Middleton's Adorable Childhood Photo Proves Prince Louis Is Her Twin
Actor Jonathan Majors receives mixed verdict in criminal domestic violence trial