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Hollywood & Entertainment Michael Wright, ‘The Five Heartbeats’ And ‘V’ Star, Dies At 70 By Tim Lammers ,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I cover Hollywood and entertainment. Follow Author Aug 22, 2026, 09:55am EDT Aug 22, 2026, 11:23am EDT --:-- / --:-- This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . Summary Actor Michael Wright, known for his memorable roles in films like "The Five Heartbeats," "The Principal," and "Sugar Hill," as well as the TV series "V," has died at 70. His wife, Susan Wright, announced his passing on Instagram, sharing her profound sadness. Family members confirmed to TMZ that Wright died Wednesday from heart failure and complications of Marchiafava-Bignami, a rare degenerative neurological disease. Wright famously portrayed Eddie King Jr. in "The Five Heartbeats" and Elias Taylor in "V." He also starred as Victor Duncan in "The Principal" and Roemello Skuggs in "Sugar Hill" alongside Wesley Snipes, and had a recurring role in HBO's "Oz." His significant talent and contributions to film and television will be remembered.
Michael Wright, who starred in the films as The Five Heartbeats, The Principal and Sugar Hill , as well as the TV series V , has died.
The actor’s wife, Susan Wright, announced the actor’s death in a statement on Friday on Instagram . “It is with profound sadness and an unimaginable heaviness in my heart that I share the passing of my beloved husband, Michael Wright.”
Family members told TMZ in a statement that Wright died on Wednesday of heart failure and complications of Marchiafava-Bignami, which is a rare degenerative neurological disease. He was 70.
“Many knew and loved him through ‘The Five Heartbeats,’ ‘The Wanderers,’ ‘V,’ ‘The Principal,’ ‘Streamers,’ and the many other characters he brought to life throughout his remarkable career," Susan Wright further wrote on Instagram. "His talent, presence, and contributions to film and television will live on, but to those of us who loved him personally, he was so much more than the roles the world knew him for.”
Directed by Robert Townshend from a screenplay by Townshend and Keenan Ivory Wayans, 1991’s The Five Heartbeats chronicled the fictional 1960s singing group of the same name. Wright plays Eddie King Jr., the group’s talented but troubled lead singer.
In V , which began as a pair miniseries on NBC in 1983 and 1984 but became a regular series in 1984, Wright played Elias Taylor, one of the leaders of the Resistance after the First Invasion of aliens called the Visitors on Earth.
In 1987’s The Principal , Wright starred opposite Jim Belushi and Louis Gossett Jr. as Victor Duncan, a gang leader and drug dealer at odds with Belushi’s high school principal Rick Lattimer. The actor also starred opposite Wesley Snipes in the 1994 crime drama Sugar Hill , where he and Snipes played as brothers Raynathan and Roemello Skuggs, a pair of drug dealers in Harlem.
Also on TV, Wright starred in a recurring role of inmate Omar Wright in the acclaimed HBO prison drama Oz , where he appeared in 22 episodes from 2001 to 2003.
Born April 30, 1956, in New York City, Michael Wright’s screen debut was in director Phillip Kaufman’s 1979 crime drama The Wanderers , where he played a supporting role opposite Ken Wahl and Karen Allen.
Following his turn in the TV movies Fighting Back (1981), Dream House (1981) and Benny’s Place (1982), Wright landed the pivotal role of Elias Taylor in the V miniseries in 1983.
In 1984, Wright starred as Carlyle in director Robert Altman’s war drama Streamers , which chroniciles the friction between four young soldiers awaiting deployment to Vietnam in 1965.
Wright’s other film credits included Confessions of a Hitman , Point Blank , Piñerom Downtown: A Street Tale, Money Talks and The Interpreter .
Wright also appeared in guest roles on such series as Miami Vice , Nash Bridges , Stitch and Rel . The actor’s last screen appearance was in a starring role in the 2025 crime drama Dope King .
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