Angelina Jolie’s uncle Chip Taylor dead at 86: Brother of Jon Voight penned The Troggs classic Wild Thing
Angelina Jolie’s uncle Chip Taylor – who wrote the 1966 song Wild Thing – has died at the age of 86.
The sad news was announced by Taylor’s friend Billy Vera, who took to Instagram on Tuesday with the update on the late songwriter.
‘RIP: Chip Taylor, my friend and songwriting mentor, last night in hospice,’ Vera, a Grammy-winning vocalist, wrote.
Taylor, whose real name was James Wesley Voight, was the brother of Jolie’s father Jon Voight, and also uncle to her sibling James Haven.
He penned a number of other notable songs, including the 1968 hit Merrilee Rush tune Angel of the Morning; the 1969 song Try (Just A Little Bit Harder) from Janis Joplin; and 1966’s I Can’t Let Go from The Hollies.
The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Jolie and Voight for comment on the sad news.
Angelina Jolie’s uncle Chip Taylor – who wrote the 1966 song Wild Thing – has died at the age of 86. Pictured in LA in 2013
Jolie pictured in 2016 visiting a Syrian refugee camp in Azraq in northern Jordan
Taylor also had a background as a performer in addition to a songwriter, as he released at least 16 albums – including 1973’s Chip Taylor’s Last Chance and 1975’s This Side of the Big River.
In 2016, Taylor was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, lauded for his decades of contributions to the music industry.
Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra and Dusty Springfield were among the legendary late artists who recorded songs written by Taylor, according to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Taylor showed an early interest in music, as he began listening to a country radio station when he was just eight-years-old.
Growing up in Yonkers, New York, Taylor got involved with his high school band Town & Country Brothers.
The late creative penned songs such as Angel of the Morning, Try (Just A Little Bit Harder) and I Can’t Let Go
After trying his hand at professional golf, a wrist injury led Taylor to devote his full efforts to the music business, the Songwriters Hall of Fame said.
Taylor inked a pact with Warner Bros. Records in 1961 as a recording artist, releasing the single Here I Am, which hit the top 100.
Taylor had also heavily been involved in the business side of the music, having commandeered a number of record companies, including an independent label he got started in 2007 titled Train Wreck Records.
In addition to his musical efforts, he was also interested in gambling, with a passion for blackjack.
