“Dream Weaver” singer Gary Wright has died at the age of 80
Singer-songwriter Gary Wright, who rose to fame with 1970s hits “Dream Weaver” and “Love Is Alive,” died Monday. He was 80 years old.
Wright was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and dementia.
“It is with great sadness that I have received the news of the passing of my dear friend Gary Wright,” singer Stephen Bishop wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Gary’s vibrant personality and exceptional talent made every moment we shared truly enjoyable. His legacy will live on for many years to come,” added Bishop.
Wright was a child actor and appeared in the Broadway production of Fanny with future Brady Bunch actress Florence Henderson.
He was later a member of the English rock group Spooky Tooth and played piano on George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass album.
This began a friendship with the former Beatle, whom Wright later wrote about in his book Dream Weaver: A Memoir; Music, meditation and my friendship with George Harrison.”
“I always felt that God existed and helped me,” Wright said in an interview Interview 2014. “It wasn’t really clearly defined, but I knew there was something there, and it wasn’t until I met George Harrison that I really started to delve deeply into the spiritual life.”
Recorded as a solo artist, both “Dream Weaver” and “Love Is Alive” reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
“Dream Weaver” also remained in the public eye with its use in the hit 1992 comedy Wayne’s World.
Wright re-recorded the song for the film.
Ambrosia co-founder David Pack paid tribute to Wright in a Facebook post.
“Starting with Spooky Tooth, I watched Gary grow into a real music star. He was a legend with his breakthrough hits “Dream Weaver and My Love is Alive” and played keyboards on every George Harrison solo album,” Pack said.
“I truly believe Gary is in paradise and he and George are already working on new music.”
In addition to his work with Harrison, Wright was also a member of Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band and toured with the group in 2008, 2010 and 2011.
Wright was married twice and had two children.
