Chip Taylor, Wild Thing Songwriter, Dies at 86

Chip Taylor, the acclaimed singer-songwriter best known for penning the rock classics "Wild Thing" and "Angel of the Morning," died Monday in hospice care. He was 86. The news was confirmed Tuesday by his longtime friend and collaborator, Grammy-winning producer Billy Vera, who described Taylor as his songwriting mentor.

Taylor, born James Wesley Voight on March 21, 1940, in Yonkers, New York, passed away just two days after his 86th birthday. No cause of death was immediately disclosed, though he had undergone treatment for throat cancer in 2023 and addressed the experience in songs on his final album, "Behind the Sky," released in February 2024. Vera announced the death on social media, writing, "With great sadness I announce the passing of my old friend and songwriting mentor, Chip Taylor last night in hospice." He highlighted their joint compositions, including "Make Me Belong to You," recorded by Barbara Lewis, and "Storybook Children," performed by Vera with Judy Clay.

A member of the Voight family, Taylor was the younger brother of Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight and uncle to Voight's children, Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie and actor James Haven. Jon Voight attended...