Current:Home > FinanceGary Wright, 'Dream Weaver' and 'Love is Alive' singer, dies at 80 after health battle: Reports -Wealth Harmony Labs
Gary Wright, 'Dream Weaver' and 'Love is Alive' singer, dies at 80 after health battle: Reports
View
Date:2025-04-13 23:19:17
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! (32)
Related
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- Watch Yellowstone wolves bring 'toys' home to their teething pups
- Historic Rhode Island hotel damaged in blaze will be torn down; cause under investigation
- Prigozhin’s purported demise seems intended to send a clear message to potential Kremlin foes
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- Biden policy that has allowed 200,000 migrants to enter the U.S. in 10 months faces key legal test
- Gov. Ron DeSantis' education overhaul continues with bathroom rule at Florida state colleges
- From Ramaswamy bashing to UFOs, the unhinged GOP debate was great TV, but scary politics
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- Bachelor Nation's Hannah Godwin Details Marrying Best Friend Dylan Barbour
Ranking
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Bryan Kohberger's trial is postponed after Idaho student stabbings suspect waives right to speedy trial
- Lala Kent Shares Surprising Take on Raquel Leviss' Vanderpump Rules Exit
- Sidewalk slaying: Woman to serve 8 years in NYC Broadway star's death
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- Jennifer Lopez Debuts Blonde Highlights in Must-See Transformation
- WWE star Bray Wyatt, known for the Wyatt Family and 'The Fiend,' dies at age 36
- What exactly is colostrum, the popular supplement? And is it good for you?
Recommendation
Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
'No chance of being fairly considered': DOJ sues Musk's SpaceX for refugee discrimination
Maui County sues utility, alleging negligence over fires that ravaged Lahaina
Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte turns 20, whether you like it or not
2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
Trump is set to turn himself in at Fulton County jail today. Here's what to know about his planned surrender.
Heavy rains cause street flooding in the Detroit area, preventing access to Detroit airport terminal
Police arrest two men in suspected torching of British pub cherished for its lopsided walls