Chip Taylor, the man who crafted memorable hits like "Angel of the Morning" by Juice Newton, plus "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)" by Janis Joplin, has died at the age of 86. Perhaps his biggest success was The Troggs' weirdly wacky track, "Wild Thing." (It's a glorious mashup of 1960s novelty song and surreal fever dream set to music.)
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Taylor passed away just two days after he turned 86. He was the brother of Academy Award-winning actor Jon Voight and the uncle of another Academy Award-winner, Angelina Jolie. Taylor was also for a while a full-time gambler.
There Were Two Announcements of His Death
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Taylor was in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was treated three years ago for throat cancer. The sad news of Taylor's death was announced on Instagram by Billy Vera, a friend and singer. There is a pic of the two pals looking jovial. Vera wrote, "RIP: Chip Taylor, my friend and songwriting mentor, last night in hospice."
Additionally, his children posted on
Facebook about their dad's passing. They wrote, "Hi all - we are sad to tell you that Chip passed away last night. His last days were peaceful. Chip loved the amazing blessing it was to connect with people through music and truly appreciated this community. He considered you all friends. We will miss him greatly. Kris & Kelly (his children)"Taylor Was Responsible for a Slew of Hits
His musical output included two dozen albums recorded during a long and distinguished career. Taylor once offhandedly and self-deprecatingly said of himself, "I'm the kind of kind of writer who doesn't think too much about what he's writing about." He uttered that comment some 26 years ago.
His numerous popular songs included tracks such as "Welcome Home," "I Can't Let Go," "On My Word," and "I Can Make It With You." That is only a handful of all those he masterminded. Artists as diverse as Frank Sinatra, Cliff Richard, Peggy Lee, Linda Ronstadt, and Dusty Springfield successfully recorded Taylor's songs.
He Got Turned on to Music at a Young Age
Per the outlet, Taylor reminisced that as a kid, his parents took him to see My Wild Irish Rose. He was irrevocably hooked. "I didn't want to go to the show, but i was just mesmerized by the music. I remember going back in the car that night, I didn't want to talk, I just wanted to keep the physical feeling I felt when I heard the music sitting in the fourth row. So I felt, that night, that something changed in me."
