John ‘Bobby’ Wright, ‘Here I Go Again’ Hitmaker and “McHale’s Navy” Actor, Dies at 84
Wright, who died on Tuesday, Oct. 27, was the son of country musicians Johnnie Wright and Kitty Wells
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NEED TO KNOW
- John “Bobby” Wright died at his Madison, Tenn., home on Oct. 27, his family confirmed
- Wright was the last surviving cast member of the 1960s ABC sitcom McHale’s Navy
- The son of country icons Johnnie Wright and Kitty Wells charted 21 singles between 1967 and 1979, including his 1971 hit “Here I Go Again”
John “Bobby” Wright, the country music star known for his 1971 hit “Here I Go Again” and an actor on the hit 1960s sitcom McHale’s Navy, has died at 84.
Wright died at his home in Madison, Tenn., on Tuesday, Oct. 27, according to his obituary. A cause of death was not made public.
Born in Charleston, W. Va. in 1942 to country icons Johnnie Wright and Kitty Wells, he would later follow in his parents’ musical footsteps when they relocated to be closer to Nashville. Wright was also athletic in his youth, and played football, baseball and basketball at Madison High School.
After graduation, he moved to Los Angeles, where he would later land the role of radio operator Willy Moss in McHale’s Navy, a hit ABC sitcom that ran from 1962 through 1966 about the U.S. Navy PT-73 boat during World War II in the Pacific. He starred in the show opposite Ernest Borgnine, Tim Conway and Bob Hastings. Wright was the last living cast member from the show, according to his family.
Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
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Wright later made an appearance as Bud Bunnoy in an episode of Pistols ‘n’ Petticoats in 1966.
Following his stint in television acting, Wright returned to Tennessee, where he rejoined his family’s syndicated variety show. He toured with his parents and sisters as the Kitty Wells Johnnie Wright and Bobby Wright family show until 2007.
Wright would go on to find his voice as a solo artist from 1967 to 1979, when he recorded songs for Decca, ABC and United Artists Records, charting 21 singles. His 1971 song “Here I Go Again” was the highest-charting single of his career.
He is survived by his two daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, sister, Sue Sturdivant, ex-wife Brenda Wright Moore, and nieces and nephews.
His memorial services will be held at Spring Hill Funeral Home in Nashville on Tuesday, Nov. 3.