Daryl Dragon, better known as "The Captain" of the 1970's pop group Captain and Tennille, died from renal failure Wednesday in Arizona. He was 76.
Dragon died in hospice care in a Prescott facility with his ex-wife and longtime musical partner, Toni Tenille, by his side, according to the Hollywood Reporter and the Associated Press.
"He was a brilliant musician with many friends who loved him greatly. I was at my most creative in my life, when I was with him," Tennille said in a statement of remembrance.
Captain and Tennille had mega-hits like "Love Will Keep Us Together," "Muskrat Love" and "Do That To Me One More Time."
Dragon was born into a musical family. His father was Oscar-winning composer Carmen Dragon while his mother, Eloise Dragon, was a singer. Daryl himself was a classically-trained musician who was from Los Angeles.
Dragon once played keyboards for the Beach Boys, where he was first dubbed "The Captain" by singer Mike Love.
Dragon then met Tennille in 1971 and teamed up for a flourishing partnership, playing keyboards while Tennille crooned her soft, smooth vocals.
Tennille convinced her soon-to-be Captain to play piano on a musical called "Mother Earth" in the early '70s, and the two took off from there. The next year, while on tour opening for the Beach Boys, Dragon became romantically involved with Tennille, and they eventually got married in 1975 — after finding success with their top hits on the A&M Records music label.
Though he had a fondness for sailing caps, Dragon didn't always wear a hat or cap during their performances. Some of Dragon's most-memorable appearances, though, have come on album covers, when he's typically wearing a captain's hat and other sailing garb.
Before Dragon's foray into traveling with the Beach Boys and then Tennille, he started a musical career with the Wright Sounds. He eventually produced a record with one brother, Dennis. Another brother, Doug, joined them in 1971 for a joint album titled 'Me and My Brother."
Dragon and Tennille were married for nearly 40 years until their 2014 divorce. They remained good friends until his death, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Per his request, there will be no services for Dragon, who is survived by his older brother, Doug Dragon, and two nieces.
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