Current:Home > ScamsGary Wright, 'Dream Weaver' and 'Love is Alive' singer, dies at 80 after health battle: Reports -ApexWealth
Gary Wright, 'Dream Weaver' and 'Love is Alive' singer, dies at 80 after health battle: Reports
View
Date:2025-04-19 03:24:22
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! (61)
Related
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- German officials detain a fifth suspect in connection with a threat to attack Cologne Cathedral
- Happy Holidays with Geena Davis, Weird Al, and Jacob Knowles!
- Hack, rizz, slay and other cringe-worthy words to avoid in 2024
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Housing market predictions: Six experts weigh in on the real estate outlook in 2024
- Environmental Justice Advocates in Virginia Fear Recent Legal Gains Could Be Thwarted by Politics in Richmond
- Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean and Wife Rochelle Officially Break Up After 12 Years of Marriage
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- Hong Kong activist publisher Jimmy Lai pleads not guilty to sedition and collusion charges
Ranking
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- The Endangered Species Act at 50: The most dazzling and impactful environmental feat of all time
- States and Congress wrestle with cybersecurity at water utilities amid renewed federal warnings
- Israel’s Supreme Court overturns a key component of Netanyahu’s polarizing judicial overhaul
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- Tom Wilkinson, The Full Monty actor, dies at 75
- Biden administration approves emergency weapons sale to Israel, bypassing Congress
- Last-of-its-kind College Football Playoff arrives with murky future on horizon
Recommendation
Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
Ross Gay on inciting joy while dining with sorrow
A driver fleeing New York City police speeds onto a sidewalk and injures 7 pedestrians
The long-awaited FAFSA is finally here. Now, hurry up and fill it out. Here's why.
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
Who is Liberty? What to know about the Flames ahead of Fiesta Bowl matchup vs. Oregon
Powerful earthquakes leave at least four dead, destroy buildings along Japan’s western coast
The Endangered Species Act at 50: The most dazzling and impactful environmental feat of all time