Actor Michael Wright, best known for his memorable performances in The Five Heartbeats and Sugar Hill, has died at the age of 70. His family confirmed the news to TMZ, stating that Wright died in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
According to the family, Wright suffered heart failure alongside complications from Marchiafava-Bignami disease, a rare degenerative neurological condition. The actor’s death brings to a close a career that spanned nearly five decades across film and television.
Born in New York City in 1956, Wright appeared in several major films throughout his career, beginning with roles in The Wanderers and Robert Altman’s Streamers. He also appeared alongside Jim Belushi and Louis Gossett Jr. in The Principal.
Wright became especially memorable to audiences for playing Eddie King Jr., the gifted but troubled lead singer in Robert Townsend’s 1991 musical drama The Five Heartbeats. He later starred opposite Wesley Snipes as Raynathan Skuggs in the 1994 crime drama Sugar Hill.
His other screen credits included Money Talks, Point Blank, and The Interpreter, while television audiences also saw him in series such as Oz and V: The Series.
Wright is survived by his wife, Susan Wright, as well as his daughter and stepchildren.
