Current:Home > ContactGary Wright, 'Dream Weaver' and 'Love is Alive' singer, dies at 80 after health battle: Reports -Clarity Finance Guides
Gary Wright, 'Dream Weaver' and 'Love is Alive' singer, dies at 80 after health battle: Reports
Poinbank Exchange View
Date:2025-04-11 11:12:24
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! (93615)
Related
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Protests, poisoning and prison: The life and death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny
- Tax refund seem smaller this year? IRS says taxpayers are getting less money back (so far)
- Prince Harry Breaks Silence on King Charles III's Cancer Diagnosis
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- Judge rejects Texas AG Ken Paxton’s request to throw out nearly decade-old criminal charges
- How ageism against Biden and Trump puts older folks at risk
- Love Is Blind Season 6: What Jess Wishes She Had Told Chelsea Amid Jimmy Love Triangle
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- Don't Miss J.Crew’s Jewelry Sale with Chic Statement & Everyday Pieces, Starting at $6
Ranking
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- Amy Schumer Reacts to Barbie’s Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig Getting Snubbed By Oscars 2024
- Ohio woman who disappeared with 5-year-old foster son sent officers to his body — in a sewer drain
- Tom Selleck refuses to see the end for 'Blue Bloods' in final Season 14: 'I'm not done'
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Greece just legalized same-sex marriage. Will other Orthodox countries join them any time soon?
- Protests, poisoning and prison: The life and death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny
- Pennsylvania magistrate judge is charged with shooting her ex-boyfriend in the head as he slept
Recommendation
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
Record Store Day 2024 features exclusive vinyl from David Bowie, Ringo Starr, U2, more
Iowa's Caitlin Clark breaks NCAA women's basketball scoring record
Sora is ChatGPT maker OpenAI’s new text-to-video generator. Here’s what we know about the new tool
Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
Caitlin Clark's scoring record reveals legacies of Lynette Woodard and Pearl Moore
Fed up over bullying, Nevada women take secret video of monster boss. He was later indicted for murder.
Brian Wilson needs to be put in conservatorship after death of wife, court petition says