Gary Wright, 'Dream Weaver' & 'Love Is Alive' Singer, Dies at 80

Gary Wright, known for his hit 1976 songs "Dream Weaver" and "Love Is Alive," died at his Palos Verdes Estates, California, home Monday at 80.

TMZ reports he had battled Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia.

Wright's "Dream Weaver" and "Love Is Alive" were both no. 2 smashes on the Billboard Hot 100, and both were among the Top 40 tunes of 1976.

He was also well-known for his work with George Harrison.

Born April 26, 1943, in Cresskill, New Jersey, Wright was a child performer who appeared on the early TV series "Captain Video and His Video Rangers." He did radio ads and debuted on Broadway in the show "Fanny" (1954) with Florence Henderson.

After high school, he began his recording career, releasing his first song — "Working After School" (1960) — as part of Gary & Billy.

Though he studied medicine, he gravitated back to the world of music, touring Europe with the band Art, later Spooky Tooth. Three albums later, he went solo with the albums "Extraction" (1970) and "Footprint" (1971), also working on George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass" album in 1970, playing with him on his other solo works for a decade as part of a band called Wonderwheel.

Wright rejoined Spooky Tooth for two records, worked with Ringo Starr and Ronnie Spector, and famously played the piano on Harry Nilsson's 1972 single "Without You."

But his breakthrough success came with his third solo album, "The Dream Weaver," which was certified double-platinum, a record famous for its early use of synthesizers.

Wright produced 12 solo studio albums in total, and enjoyed his last Top 40 solo hit with "Really Wanna Know You" in 1981.

Later in his career, Wright worked on many movie soundtracks, rerecording "Dream Weaver" for "Wayne's World" (1992), toured extensively, and published the memoir "Dream Weaver: Music, Meditation, and My Friendship with George Harrison" (2014).

Wright is survived by his second wife Rose, to whom he had been wed since 1985, his two sons, and his sister.