Cause of death Michael Wright: What is the rare neurological disease ‘The Five Heartbeats’ actor battled?

Michael Wright, the actor remembered by generations of fans as Eddie King Jr. in “The Five Heartbeats”, was battling a rare degenerative neurological disease before his death at 70.

Wright died Wednesday, August 19, in Los Angeles. His family said he suffered heart failure along with complications from Marchiafava-Bignami disease, providing new details about what the actor had been facing before his death.

His wife, Susan Wright , announced the heartbreaking news Friday evening, remembering the man behind the characters millions had watched on screen.

Michael Wright battled a rare neurological disease

Marchiafava-Bignami disease is an extremely rare neurological disorder that primarily damages the corpus callosum, the bundle of nerve fibers connecting the two sides of the brain. It can cause a wide range of neurological problems, including confusion, difficulty walking, seizures and changes in consciousness.

Wright's family has not publicly disclosed when he was diagnosed or how long he had been living with the disease.

What they have revealed is that his death followed heart failure coupled with complications from the condition , offering a clearer picture of the circumstances surrounding his final days.

For those closest to Wright, however, his illness was only one small part of a much larger life.

“It is with profound sadness and an unimaginable heaviness in my heart that I share the passing of my beloved husband, Michael Wright,” Susan wrote while announcing his death.

She remembered him as a husband, father, grandfather, friend and “extraordinary artist,” while acknowledging how deeply characters from “The Five Heartbeats”, “The Wanderers”, “V”, “The Principal” and “Streamers” had connected him with audiences.

“Michael, your work will live forever, but your love will live even longer in the hearts of those who knew you best,” she wrote in her farewell.

Michael Wright was much more than Eddie King Jr.

For many fans, Wright will forever be Eddie King Jr. , the charismatic and troubled lead singer at the center of Robert Townsend's 1991 musical drama “The Five Heartbeats”.

Eddie was gifted, magnetic and deeply flawed. His struggles with alcohol and drugs eventually pushed him away from the fictional R&B group, giving Wright some of the film's most emotional scenes and helping turn the character into the role most closely associated with his career.

But Wright's work stretched across nearly five decades.

Born April 30, 1956, in New York City, he appeared in more than 50 film and television productions. His movie credits included “The Wanderers”, “Robert Altman's Streamers”, “The Principal and Sugar Hill”, while television audiences knew him from the sci-fi franchise “V” and HBO's prison drama “Oz”, among other projects.

Years later, Wright explained what drove him as an actor in remarkably simple terms. He believed one of the worst things a performer could do was fail to keep an audience interested.

He wanted viewers to look at his characters and wonder what was happening behind their eyes. Eddie King Jr. was perhaps the clearest example of that philosophy.

His family remembers the man audiences couldn't see

Susan's statement also made clear that the Michael Wright remembered by his family was bigger than any role.

She described the loss as “enormous and deeply personal” and thanked fans for the prayers, memories and condolences that began arriving after news of his death spread.

The family said more information about Wright's life, legacy and how they intend to celebrate him will be shared when they are ready.

Wright once said in a 2021 interview that he wouldn't go back and change his life. He had traveled the world, learned multiple languages and experienced what he wanted to experience.

It feels particularly poignant now. Michael Wright spent decades trying to create characters people wouldn't forget.