Updated Funeral Arrangements for Rev. Timothy Wright

Services for Rev. Timothy Wright, who passed away last week, have been updated. The musical tribute, which was originally set to be at Pleasant Grove Tabernacle on Sunday, May 3rd will now be held at Pilgrim Cathedral at 7pm. Please note the correction and plan accordingly...

Public viewing
Saturday, May 2nd, 12noon to 8pm
Sunday, May 3rd, 1pm to 5pm
Grace Tabernacle Church of God in Christ
Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York

A Musical Tribute
Sunday, May 3rd, 7pm
Pilgrim Cathedral
Broadway & Gates Avenue
Brooklyn, NY, 11221
Bishop Roy E. Brown, pastor

Homegoing Service
Monday, May 4th, 10am
Pilgrim Cathedral
Broadway & Gates Avenue
Brooklyn, NY, 11221
Bishop Roy E. Brown, pastor

Breaking News -- Rev. Timothy Wright Dies

We offer our sincerest condolences to the family of Rev. Timothy Wright. According to several industry sources on Facebook.com, the Godfather of Gospel apparently passed away last night. While we don't have any definitive details at this point, we know he had been paralyzed from the July 4th car accident that claimed the lives of his wife, Betty, and his 14-year-old grandson, DJ. We'll update this story as we get more details.

***UPDATE***

Here's what the Associated Press is saying...

The Rev. Timothy Wright, the Grammy-nominated gospel singer and composer known for his up-tempo praise songs and powerful mass choir sound, has died. He was 61.

Wright, who was seriously injured in a car crash that killed his wife and grandson, died early Thursday at the Bronx Veterans Hospital, music agent Will Bogle said.

Timothy Wright was the pastor at Grace Tabernacle Christian Center Church of God in Christ, located in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. He released more than a dozen gospel recordings, writing many of the songs. His latest album, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, came out in 2007.

In 1994, his record Come Thou Almighty King, with the New York Fellowship Mass Choir, made the Billboard Top 20 charts for gospel albums and was nominated for a Grammy for best traditional soul gospel album.

He got another nomination in that category in 1999 for Been There Done That, recorded with the B/J Mass Choir and featuring Myrna Summers.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus features the New York Fellowship Mass Choir. The title track, written by Wright and his wife and recorded live at a Church of God in Christ convocation, expresses the plight of a woman displaced during Hurricane Katrina: She encourages herself and others by calling the name of Jesus. Among the other songs on the album was You Must Come In At the Door.

According to the book Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Encyclopedia, by Bil Carpenter, the Brooklyn-born Wright began playing piano for his local church at age 12 and also began composing at a young age. By his early 20s, he was music director at Brooklyn's Washington Temple Church of God in Christ.

He began writing songs for such fellow musicians as Mattie Moss Clark and the Rev. Isaac Douglas, according to Carpenter's book, and in 1976 formed the Timothy Wright Concert Choir. Among the choir's albums were Who's on the Lord's Side? and Do You Know the Light?

Wright was critically injured July 4th in a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 80 near Loganton, Pennsylvania. Another car was going the wrong way when it struck Wright's car. His wife, Betty Wright, 58, was killed in the crash, and their 14-year-old grandson, D.J. Wright, died later at a hospital. The driver of the wrong-way car, John Pick, also was killed, while a passenger in a third car was injured.

The Wrights were returning from a Church of God in Christ conference in Detroit, said Leroy Johnson, a trustee at Grace Tabernacle.

Rev. Wright's Family Releases a Statement

The family of Pastor Timothy Wright wants to set the record straight about his condition. On Monday, they released the following statement exclusively to Gospel Today magazine:

“Rev. Wright did not have a heart attack. But on January 21st, his heart stopped suddenly. He was on life support for two to three weeks. But as of right now, he's off life support. He is breathing on his own. He's not 100 percent responsive, but he does open his eyes when we talk to him. He's not brain dead, but the lack of oxygen to his brain while his heart was stopped has caused his response to be very slow. So we’re praying that his response picks up and he returns back to normal. The doctors didn't give us a time table, but God will do it on His own time. Keep Rev. in your prayers. God bless."

As you may recall, Rev. Wright was involved in a serious car crash last July which took the life of his wife, Betty, and his 14-year-old grandson, DJ. The family is thanking everyone for their continued support and prayers.