Bobby Wright, McHale's Navy Actor and Son of Kitty Wells, Dies at 84

Bobby Wright, the singer and actor who played radio operator Willy Moss on McHale's Navy and who was the son of country music stars Kitty Wells and Johnnie Wright, died on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at his home in Madison, Tennessee. He was 84. USA Today reported that he passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones, citing the family obituary. No cause of death was confirmed.

The family obituary was published on October 29 by Austin and Bell Funeral Home Springfield on Legacy.com. It gave his full name as John Robert Wright Jr., age 84, of Madison, Tennessee, and said he passed away on Tuesday, October 27, at his home. The Hollywood Reporter published its obituary on October 30, and USA Today published its own the same day.

Willy Moss on McHale's Navy

Wright played Willy Moss in all 138 episodes of McHale's Navy across the show's four seasons from 1962 to 1966, The Hollywood Reporter said. He also appeared in the films McHale's Navy in 1964 and McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force in 1966. He was the last surviving cast member of the series.

He was billed as John Wright on the series. His path to the part ran through a role he did not get. Wright came to Hollywood to audition for director Peter Tewksbury for a part as a Southern youngster who could play guitar. He did not land that role, but a McHale's Navy producer saw his screen test and cast him as Willy Moss, The Hollywood Reporter said.

A country music family

Wright was born John Robert Wright Jr. on March 30, 1942, in Charleston, West Virginia. He was the middle child and the only son of Johnnie Wright and Kitty Wells.

His mother was a Country Music Hall of Fame member and country's first female superstar. Wells placed nearly three dozen Top 10 hits from 1952 to 1965, including It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels. Johnnie Wright died in 2011 at age 97. Wells died on July 16, 2012, at age 92.

As a singer in his own right, Wright recorded for Decca, ABC and United Artists Records from 1967 to 1979. He placed 21 singles on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. His song Here I Go Again peaked at number 13 in 1971, The Hollywood Reporter said.

Wright also appeared in a 1966 episode of the CBS western Pistols 'n' Petticoats and in the 1974 film Catch the Black Sunshine. He appeared with his family on the syndicated Kitty Wells Johnnie Wright Family Show, and he toured with his parents until they retired from the road in 2007.

Survivors include his sister Carol Sue, his children LeAnn and Kamela, his grandchildren Austin, Cassidy, Shelby and Dalton, his great-grandchildren, and his former wife Brenda. A funeral is set for Tuesday, November 3.