Overview
- His family confirmed late Friday that Wright died on Wednesday, Aug. 19, at UCI Medical Center in Los Angeles and that he was 70 years old.
- The family said the immediate cause was heart failure with complications from Marchiafava-Bignami, a rare degenerative brain disease they say he was diagnosed with in 2015.
- Wright’s wife, Susan, announced his death on Instagram, named his survivors and asked the public and press to allow the family privacy while they grieve.
- Wright built a five-decade career with more than 50 credits, best known for playing Eddie King Jr. in Robert Townsend’s The Five Heartbeats and sharing the Volpi Cup for Streamers in 1983.
- Tributes from co-stars and fans have poured in and outlets report the family will share memorial plans and further information when they are ready while urging that unconfirmed details not be circulated.