Gary Wright, the singer of pop hits Dream Weaver and Love is Alive, has died aged 80.
His son Dorian confirmed the news to the Guardian. His other son Justin told TMZ his father died on Monday at home in California, and had been diagnosed with both Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia.
The singer-songwriter’s symptoms had worsened in the past year and made it difficult for him to speak or move, Justin said.
Known best for hits Dream Weaver and Love is Alive, which both peaked at No 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, Wright was also a composer and producer, and frequently collaborated with the Beatles musician George Harrison.
Born in New Jersey in 1943, Wright had a career as a child actor in TV and radio commercials, and performed on Broadway in the musical Fanny in 1954. He also appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.
After playing in high school bands, Wright decided music was “too unstable” to do professionally and instead trained to be a doctor in the US and West Germany. In Europe, he abandoned medicine for music and in 1967 became joint lead vocalist in the British blues rock band Spooky Tooth before embarking on a solo career in 1970.
That same year Wright played keyboard on Harrison’s 1970 album All Things Must Pass. During the sessions the two men struck up a friendship based on their shared taste in music and interest in Indian spirituality. Wright later described Harrison as “my spiritual mentor”. He would play on all of Harrison’s solo albums during the 1970s, as well as other releases the ex-Beatle produced for Apple Records, including two Ringo Starr singles and a Ronnie Spector track. Wright later recalled being asked to play on John Lennon’s 1971 album Imagine, but was unable to make the sessions.
Wright reformed Spooky Tooth between 1972 and 1974, but it was his 1975 solo album The Dream Weaver – the hit title track inspired by a trip to India with Harrison – that made him famous. The album is now regarded as one of the first rock records made almost entirely with synthesisers. Wright was known for performing live on portable keyboards – then unusual – and the keytar.
Wright’s solo career slowed in the 1980s and 1990s as he dialled back on touring to spend time with his family. But his influence remained steady over the decades, with musicians including Jay-Z, Tone-Loc and Eminem using samples and interpolations from his music in their tracks. A 1984 cover of his song Love is Alive by Chaka Khan was a hit. Judas Priest’s cover of a Spooky Tooth song written by Wright, Better By You, Better Than Me, was famously the subject of a 1990 court case around subliminal messages in song lyrics, after two teenagers enacted a suicide pact. The case was later dismissed.
Wright rerecorded Dream Weaver for a new version immortalised in the 1992 film Wayne’s World. In 2008 he joined Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band on tour, and did so again in 2010 and 2011.
Among those paying tribute on Monday was the musician Stephen Bishop, who called Wright a “dear friend” in a statement shared on social media, along with pictures from their performances together.
It is with great sadness that I received the news of my dear friend Gary Wright's passing. The attached photos hold precious memories from the very first and last time we shared the stage together, alongside our mutual musical pal John Ford Coley. Gary's vibrant personality and… pic.twitter.com/r7bwnIhKME
— Stephen Bishop (@BishSongs) September 4, 2023
“Gary’s vibrant personality and exceptional talent made every moment together truly enjoyable,” Bishop wrote. “His legacy will live on for many years to come. I will always cherish the warmth and kindness shown to me by Gary and his wife Rose, and I will forever hold dear the stories he shared with me about days gone by.”
The singer-songwriter Al Stewart also shared a statement: “Al and Gary were friends for a long time, and it was Gary who introduced Al to his touring band, The Empty Pockets. Al and Jill Stewart would like to send their condolences to Gary’s wife, Rose, and his family.”
Wright is survived by his second wife Rose, his first wife Tina and their sons.
