Singer Gary Wright has died at the age of 80.
The singer, best known for the 1970s tracks Dream Weaver and Love is Alive, passed away on Monday morning at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California.
His son Justin told TMZ that his father had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia. He revealed that Wright’s Parkinson’s worsened in the past year and he eventually lost the ability to move or speak.
Raised in New Jersey, the star first entered showbiz as a child actor in the Broadway musical Fanny, then played with bands through his university days studying medicine in Berlin until music executive Chris Blackwell approached him to move to London and form the group Spooky Tooth with pianist Mike Harrison and drummer Mike Kellie.
After forming in 1967, the band produced three albums – It’s All About, Spooky Two, and Ceremony – with Wright as their singer, co-writer, and organist. He exited in 1970 after conflict arose surrounding their third album Ceremony, and he signed with A&M Records to release a solo album titled Extraction.
During his solo project, Wright befriended The Beatles member George Harrison, who would later hire him to play on his own solo albums, including 1970’s All Things Must Pass.
Spooky Tooth reunited in 1972 and released two more albums together before they split again in 1974. The following year, Wright released his most successful solo album, The Dream Weaver.
Wright later appeared in the 1992 film Wayne’s World, singing a re-recorded version of Dream Weaver, released more albums up to 2010, and reformed Spooky Tooth.
