‘Dream Weaver’ Gary Wright Dies At 80

Gary Wright, whose ethereal song “Dream Weaver” wafted through the airwaves and up the music charts in 1976, died Monday. He was 80. Wright had been battling Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia for the past six years, the singer’s son, Justin Wright, told KABC-TV. Gary Wright died at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California, according to the television station. “Dream Weaver,” which utilized a haunting synthesizer, debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on Jan. 3, 1976. It spent 20 weeks on the Hot 100 and peaked at No. 2 on March 27, 1976. The song spent eight weeks in Billboard’s Top 10. Wright’s follow-up single, “Love is Alive,” also reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching the runner-up spot on July 31, 1976. The single spent 27 weeks in the Hot 100 and seven weeks in the top 10. The singer had six singles chart on the Hot 100 between 1976 and 1981, according to Billboard.