Current:Home > FinanceEthermac|Gary Wright, 'Dream Weaver' and 'Love is Alive' singer, dies at 80 after health battle: Reports -EverVision Finance
Ethermac|Gary Wright, 'Dream Weaver' and 'Love is Alive' singer, dies at 80 after health battle: Reports
Rekubit View
Date:2025-04-11 05:53:39
Singer-songwriter Gary Wright,Ethermac 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! (42333)
Related
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- Police arrest 85-year-old suspect in 1986 Texas murder after he crossed border to celebrate birthday
- Save $200 on This Dyson Cordless Vacuum and Give Your Home a Deep Cleaning With Ease
- Dancing With the Stars Alum Mark Ballas Expecting First Baby With Wife BC Jean
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- Unchecked Oil and Gas Wastewater Threatens California Groundwater
- Abortion messaging roils debate over Ohio ballot initiative. Backers said it wasn’t about that
- Teetering banks put Biden between a bailout and a hard place ahead of the 2024 race
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Biden Is Losing His Base on Climate Change, a New Pew Poll Finds. Six in 10 Democrats Don’t Feel He’s Doing Enough
Ranking
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- GM will stop making the Chevy Camaro, but a successor may be in the works
- You Only Have a Few Hours to Shop Spanx 50% Off Deals: Leggings, Leather Pants, Tennis Skirts, and More
- Tornado damages Pfizer plant in North Carolina, will likely lead to long-term shortages of medicine
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- The U.S. Naval Academy Plans a Golf Course on a Nature Preserve. One Maryland Congressman Says Not So Fast
- RHOC's Emily Simpson Slams Accusation She Uses Ozempic for Weight Loss
- 11 horses die in barbaric roundup in Nevada caught on video, showing animals with broken necks
Recommendation
Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
Miami woman, 18, allegedly tried to hire hitman to kill her 3-year-old son
Cardi B Calls Out Offset's Stupid Cheating Allegations
Special counsel's office cited 3 federal laws in Trump target letter
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
Amazon is cutting another 9,000 jobs as tech industry keeps shrinking
TikTok CEO says company is 'not an agent of China or any other country'
Texas Politicians Aim to Penalize Wind and Solar in Response to Outages. Are Renewables Now Strong Enough to Defend Themselves?
Tags
Like
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- Climate Advocates Hoping Biden Would Declare a Climate Emergency Are Disappointed by the Small Steps He Announced on Wednesday
- Climate Advocates Hoping Biden Would Declare a Climate Emergency Are Disappointed by the Small Steps He Announced on Wednesday