Gary Wright has died at age 80 Monday morning at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California from complications of Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia, which left him without the ability to speak or move very much.
His death was announced on Facebook by musician friends Stephen Bishop and onetime Ambrosia member David Pack.
The New Jersey-born singer and keyboardist built his name after moving to London in the late 1960s, first as the co-frontman of Spooky Tooth, then as a sideman on his close friend George Harrison's All Things Must Pass album and finally as a solo artist. His 1975 debut, The Dream Weaver, sold over two million copies and produced a pair of number-two hits in the title track and "Love Is Alive."
In 1992, Wright re-recorded "Dream Weaver" for the movie Wayne's World. Its soundtrack album topped the Billboard 200. The song later appeared in The People vs. Larry Flynt in 1996 and Toy Story 3 in 2010. All told, he released 10 studio solo albums.
Wright's friendship with George Harrison extended much further than his performance on All Things Must Pass. He ended up appearing on at least one song on six of Harrison's nine subsequent studio efforts. He also toured as a member of Harrison's former Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band from 2008 through '11 and also guested with them in 2012.
He wrote about his life in music in the 2014 book Dream Weaver: A Memoir; Music, Meditation, and My Friendship with George Harrison.
Wright ended up moving back to America and living in the L.A. area. He's survived by his wife, Rose, and sons Dorian and Justin.