October 30, 2026, 4:58 p.m. ET
John “Bobby” Wright Jr., singer, actor and son of country music legends Kitty Wells and Johnnie Wright, has died. He was 84 years old.
The “McHale’s Navy” star died Tuesday (October 27) at his home in Madison, Tennessee, according to an obituary published Thursday (October 29). The cause of death has not been confirmed, but the obituary states that he “passed away peacefully surrounded by his loved ones.”
Born in Charleston, West Virginia in 1942, the musician was raised by country music icons Wright Sr. and Wells. He graduated from high school in Madison, where he played baseball, basketball, and football before moving to Los Angeles and launching a successful acting career.
Best known for playing Willy Moss on “McHale’s Navy,” he appeared in all four seasons from 1962 to 1966, on the U.S. Navy ship PT-73 in the Pacific during World War II. He also appeared in a 1966 episode of CBS’s “Pistols ‘n’ Petticoats” and in the 1974 film “Catch the Black Sunshine.”
John ‘Bobby’ Wright Jr. Followed His Parents’ Country Music Journey
Like his parents, Wright Jr. found success in the country music scene under Decca, ABC and United Artists Records from 1967 to 1979, where he landed 21 singles on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, including “Here I Go Again”, which peaked at #13 in 1971.
Her mother, Wells, was the first female solo artist to top Billboard’s U.S. Hot Country Songs chart with her 1952 hit “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” His father, Wright Sr., also scored a No. 1 country hit with “(Oh Baby Mine) I Get So Lonely” as part of the duo “Johnnie & Jack,” which also included Jack Anglin.
Wright Jr.’s memorable singles include “Lay Some Happiness on Me”, “Lovin’ Someone on My Mind” and “I’m Turning You Loose”. He also covered Terry Jacks’ “Seasons in the Sun” and titled it “Everybody Needs a Rainbow.”
A child prodigy, Wright Jr. made his singing debut at age 8, when he joined while playing guitar on the country music program “Louisiana Hayride.”
John ‘Bobby’ Wright Jr. is on tour with his parents
In 1958, the family moved to Nashville and the parents played at the Grand Ole Opry. Alongside his younger sister, now 81, and older sister Ruby, who died in 2009, he performed on the “Kitty Wells Johnnie Wright Family Show,” where he played bass, trumpet and drums. He toured with his parents until their retirement in 2007.
Both of his parents died at their home in Madison, Tennessee. Wright died of natural causes on September 27, 2011, at the age of 97, while Wells died on July 16, 2012, at the age of 92, following a stroke.
Wright Jr. is survived by two daughters, LeAnn (Mike) Henson and Kamela (James) Stewart, whom he welcomed with his ex-wife and “lifelong friend” Brenda Wright Moore, according to the obituary. He is also survived by his sister Sue, his grandchildren Austin Harris, Cassidy (Brandon) Whited, Shelby (Matthew) Fudge and Dalton (Paige) Stewart, as well as several great-grandchildren.
The family requests privacy while they grieve. The funeral is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3.
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