Current:Home > ContactGary Wright, 'Dream Weaver' and 'Love is Alive' singer, dies at 80 after health battle: Reports -AssetVision
Gary Wright, 'Dream Weaver' and 'Love is Alive' singer, dies at 80 after health battle: Reports
View
Date:2025-04-14 07:21:46
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! (6389)
Related
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
Ranking
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
Recommendation
From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West