'Wild Thing' Songwriter Chip Taylor Dies at 86, Brother of Jon Voight

As per Variety, Taylor breathed his last on Monday at the age of 86.

The death was reported on social media by his friend, singer Billy Vera, who said that Taylor passed away while in hospice care. No immediate cause of death was given.

Taylor was part of a famous family, being the brother of actor Jon Voight and the uncle to Angelina Jolie. Voight was on hand to help induct his brother into the Songwriters Hall of Fame when Taylor received that honor in 2016.

He released a wide array of singles and albums over the years, starting in the late 1950s as part of the Town Three and under the name Wes Voight, before adopting Taylor as his stage name. His highest-charting single as a recording artist was "Early Sunday Morning" in 1975, which reached No. 28 on the country chart.

"Wild Thing" was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for the Troggs in 1966, helping usher in a wave of what was often referred to as garage-rock. Its rawness made it ripe for cover versions over the years, including Jimi Hendrix's live rendition at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, as captured in the documentary about the gathering, where the guitarist gets wild enough to light his instrument on fire. It was later recorded as a single by the L.A. punk band X and included in the film comedy "Major League," according to Variety.

"Angel of the Morning" enjoyed a remarkable journey, reaching its pinnacle when Juice Newton scored a No. 4 hit on the Hot 100 in 1981. The song also topped the AC chart and made waves on country radio. Originally recorded by Evie Sands in 1967, it initially went unnoticed. However, the first successful version came from Merrilee Rush, whose rendition climbed to No. 4 in 1968. Over time, the song was covered by notable artists like Nina Simone, Olivia Newton-John, and the Pretenders, among others.

- ANI