‘Wild Thing,’ ‘Angel of the Morning’ songwriter Chip Taylor dead at 86

Chip Taylor, songwriter of such hits as “Wild Thing” and “Angel of the Morning,” has died at the age of 86. The news was confirmed in a post on his official Facebook page.

“Hi all – we are sad to tell you that Chip passed away last night. His last days were peaceful,” read the post signed by his children Kris and Kelly. “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.”

Taylor, born James Wesley Voight, was the younger brother of actor Jon Voight. He had his first big hit with “Wild Thing,” which was a #1 hit for the Troggs in 1966. Their version of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2019. Jimi Hendrix also gave a memorable performance of the track at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, where he set his guitar on fire at the end.

Taylor’s other big hit, “Angel of the Morning,” has been covered by several artists. Merrilee Rush’s 1968 version of the song was the first to hit the top 10, peaking at #7. Juice Newton also charted with the track, with her 1981 version peaking at #4. The song was also interpolated for Shaggy’s 2001 hit “Angel,” which went to #1 on the Hot 100.

Taylor wrote several other pop and country songs over the years, which have been recorded by such artists as Tom Petty, Janis Joplin, The Hollies, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Linda Ronstadt, Willie Nelson and more.

Taylor was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2016.