Gary Wright, the musician best-known for the spaced-out ’70s hits “Dream Weaver” and “Love Is Alive,” has died. Wright’s son Justin tells TMZ that Wright died at residence in California’s South Bay on Monday morning. Wright had spent the previous few years battling Parkinson’s illness and Lewy physique dementia. Wright was 80.

Gary Wright grew up in Cresskill, New Jersey, and he discovered success early on as a baby actor. For 2 years, he was within the Broadway manufacturing of Fanny. Future Brady Bunch star Florence Henderson performed the title function, and Wright performed her son Cesario. With the remainder of the present’s forged, Wright carried out on The Ed Sullivan Present. Wright additionally studied piano and organ, and he performed in a couple of native New Jersey rock bands. His duo Gary & Billy launched a single known as “Working After Faculty” on twentieth Century Fox Information in 1960.

Wright studied drugs in school, and he moved to Germany to complete his diploma. Whereas in Europe, although, Wright deserted his profession plans and performed with bands within the space. After assembly Island Information head Chris Blackwell, Wright moved to London and have become the chief of the heavy rock band Spooky Tooth. Spooky Tooth launched a couple of albums that by no means fairly caught on, and Wright’s tastes grew progressively experimental. He left the band in 1970. The identical yr, Wright launched his debut album Extraction and performed keyboard on George Harrison’s traditional triple album All Issues Should Go.

By means of the ’70s, Gary Wright continued to play on George Harrison’s solo information. He additionally performed on information from Ringo Starr, Ronnie Spector, Harry Nilsson, and others. Wright fashioned a band known as Wonderwheel that featured future Foreigner singer Mick Jones, and Harrison performed on Wright’s 1971 album Footprint and served as uncredited producer. Wright additionally launched a couple of extra albums with a reunited Spooky Tooth. However he didn’t actually escape till he launched his 1975 album The Dream Weaver. On that LP, Wright, influenced by Stevie Surprise, recorded virtually all the pieces on modular synthesizers and drum machines. He got here up with a trippy, fairly proto-synthpop sound, and his singles “Dream Weaver” and “Love Is Alive” each went to #2 on the Billboard Sizzling 100. The album went double platinum.

Wright by no means once more reached degree of success he’d achieved with The Dream Weaver, however he stored working. His music mirrored his curiosity in Japanese spirituality, which he shared together with his good friend George Harrison. His pillowy keyboards helped affect the sounds of latest age music, and he received into movie soundtracks, scoring films like Endangered Species and Fireplace And Ice. He additionally re-recorded “Dream Weaver” for the Wayne’s World soundtrack in 1992. Lately, Wright toured with the once-again-reunited Spooky Tooth and with Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band.

Under, try a few of Gary Wright’s work.