COUNTRY ROYALTY

‘McHale’s Navy’ Star Dead at 84

Bobby Wright was the son of country legend Kitty Wells.

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Actor and country singer Bobby Wright, known for playing radio operator Willy Moss in the ABC World War II military sitcom McHale’s Navy, died Tuesday at his home in Madison, Tennessee, his family announced. He was 84. Born in Charleston, West Virginia, Wright was the son of country musicians Johnnie Wright and Kitty Wells—known as the “Queen of Country Music.” According to his obituary, Wright was the last surviving cast member of McHale’s Navy, having appeared in all 138 episodes of the show during its run from 1962 to 1966. Outside of acting, Wright was a country music performer known for songs like “Here I Go Again,” which placed at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1971. Wright is survived by his sister, Carol Sue; his children, LeAnn and Kamela; his grandchildren, Austin, Cassidy, Shelby and Dalton; his great-grandchildren, Hayden, Pazlee, Remi, Fletcher and Axel; his nieces and nephews, Kitty, John Jr., David, Corrie and Stephanie; and his former wife, Brenda.