Bobby Wright, McHale's Navy Star and Kitty Wells' Son, Dies at 84

John "Bobby" Wright, who played radio operator Willy Moss on McHale's Navy and later scored a country hit with "Here I Go Again," has died. He was 84.

Wright died on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at his home in Madison, Tennessee, his family confirmed, according to People. A cause of death has not been made public.

He was the last surviving cast member of McHale's Navy.

Born into country music royalty

Wright was born on March 30, 1942, in Charleston, West Virginia, the only son of two country music stars, Johnnie Wright and Kitty Wells, the singer known as the Queen of Country Music.

Music came early. He spent much of his childhood in Louisiana, where his parents performed on the Louisiana Hayride radio show, and he made his own debut on the program at just 8 years old. About three years later, he was singing on his parents' records.

In 1958, the family moved back to Nashville, where his parents became headliners at the Grand Ole Opry. Wright went on to play football, baseball and basketball at Madison High School before heading to Los Angeles after graduation.

Willy Moss on McHale's Navy

Hollywood came calling soon after. A screen test for director Peter Tewksbury did not land him that part, but it led to an introduction to the producer of a new comedy series. Wright was cast as Willy Moss, the radio operator aboard the PT-73, on ABC's McHale's Navy, the sitcom that ran from 1962 to 1966.

He played the role for the show's entire run, working alongside Ernest Borgnine, Tim Conway and Bob Hastings. In 1966, he also made a guest appearance as Bud Bunnoy on Pistols 'n' Petticoats.

"Here I Go Again" and 21 country hits

Even while McHale's Navy was in production, Wright kept one foot in music. He sang on one of his mother's albums in 1965, and two years later he launched his own recording career.

His first chart single, "Lay Some Happiness on Me," reached No. 44 on the country chart in 1967. Over the next dozen years, recording for Decca, ABC and United Artists Records, he placed 21 singles on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart.

His biggest hit came in 1971 with "Here I Go Again," which climbed to No. 13 on the U.S. country chart and No. 21 in Canada. It also gave its name to his Decca debut album that same year.

His other hits included "Upstairs in the Bedroom," which reached No. 40 in 1969, and "Lovin' Someone on My Mind," which put him back in the top 40 in 1973.

In 1974, his version of "Seasons in the Sun" reached No. 24 on the country chart and also charted in Canada and Australia. That same year, ABC released his second album, Seasons of Love.

On the road with his family

For decades, Wright's career stayed closely tied to his parents'. In the early 1960s, he appeared with them and his sisters on the syndicated Kitty Wells Family Show.

He toured with his parents as part of the Kitty Wells, Johnnie Wright and Bobby Wright family show until they retired from the road in 2007. Along the way, the family played the International Festival of Country Music at Wembley in 1974 and the Peterborough Country Music Festival in 1988.

Survivors and memorial

Wright is survived by his two daughters, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, his sister Sue Sturdivant, and his nieces and nephews, according to his obituary.

A memorial service is set for Tuesday, Nov. 3, at Spring Hill Funeral Home in Nashville.

With his death, the final member of the McHale's Navy crew is gone. For country fans, he was something else too: the boy who grew up on the Louisiana Hayride stage and kept singing alongside his famous parents for most of his life.