{"id":230816,"date":"2026-03-26T13:08:59","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T13:08:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/26\/chip-taylor-angelina-jolies-famous-uncle-dead-at-86\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T13:08:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T13:08:59","slug":"chip-taylor-angelina-jolies-famous-uncle-dead-at-86","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/26\/chip-taylor-angelina-jolies-famous-uncle-dead-at-86\/","title":{"rendered":"Chip Taylor, Angelina Jolie\u2019s Famous Uncle, Dead at 86"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Most people know the Voight family through two names: Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight<\/strong> and his equally famous daughter, Angelina Jolie<\/strong>. But there was another Voight who quietly shaped American culture in ways few celebrity followers ever realized \u2014 and he did it under a completely different name.<\/p>\n

Chip Taylor<\/strong>, born James Wesley Voight<\/strong>, the songwriter behind the iconic rock anthem \u201cWild Thing,\u201d died Monday, March 23, in hospice care. He was 86. His daughters, Kelly and Kristian, confirmed his death.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis last days were peaceful. Chip loved the amazing blessing it was to connect with people through music and truly appreciated this community. He considered you all friends. We will miss him greatly,\u201d his daughters wrote on Facebook<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

Chip Taylor\u2019s Family Was Unlike Any Other<\/h2>\n

The Voight family may be one of the most remarkably talented dynasties in American public life \u2014 and not just because of Hollywood.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Angelina Jolie and Dad Jon Voight’s Relationship in Their Own Words<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tvan Agostini\/ImageDirect Angelina Jolie and her father, Jon Voight, have been candid about navigating ups and downs through the years. Jolie is the daughter of Voight and late actress Marcheline Bertrand, who died in 2007 after a battle with ovarian and breast cancer. Six months after the pair welcomed Jolie, they called it quits. Jolie [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Born on March 21, 1940, to Elmer and Barbara Voight<\/strong>, Chip was one of three brothers. His brother Jon became an Oscar-winning actor and the father of Jolie, herself an Oscar winner.<\/p>\n

His other brother, Barry Voight<\/strong>, took an entirely different path, becoming a geologist who invented a formula to predict volcanic eruptions.<\/p>\n

Even their father, Elmer Voight<\/strong>, had his own claim to fame \u2014 he was a golfer who played in the U.S. Open in 1928 and 1929 and later served as a country club pro.<\/p>\n

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\n Photo by Theo Wargo\/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame<\/span> Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An actor, a rock songwriter, a volcanologist, and a professional golfer \u2014 all from one household in Yonkers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe three of us were very close in age, and we did all this stuff growing up,\u201d Taylor told NPR in 2010<\/a>. \u201cOur mom and dad were very supportive of us being crazy, so we have wonderful days together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chip Taylor\u2019s Legendary Music Career<\/h2>\n

While his brother Jon built a career in the spotlight under the Voight name, Chip chose to step away from it entirely.<\/p>\n

Adopting the stage name Chip Taylor, he forged his own identity in the music world \u2014 a world far removed from Hollywood red carpets.<\/p>\n

His passion for music began early. He was writing songs at the Brill Building while still a high school student. In 1957, he and his band, Wes Voight & the Town and Country Brothers, were signed by King Records.<\/p>\n

By 1962, he had moved to Warner Bros. Records and charted on the Hot 100 with \u201cHere I Am.\u201d<\/p>\n

But his greatest mark came as a songwriter for others. \u201cWild Thing,\u201d written in 1965, was taken to No. 1 by The Troggs in July 1966.<\/p>\n

\u201cAngel of the Morning,\u201d first recorded by Evie Sands<\/strong> in 1967, went on to become a massive hit in multiple versions \u2014 Merrilee Rush<\/strong>\u2019s recording reached No. 7 on the Hot 100 in 1968, and Juice Newton<\/strong>\u2019s 1981 version sold over a million copies and peaked at No. 4.<\/p>\n

He also co-wrote \u201cTry (Just a Little Bit Harder)\u201d with Jerry Ragavoy<\/strong>, which Janis Joplin<\/strong> recorded in 1969 as the opening track of her debut album, and \u201cHe Sits at Your Table,\u201d recorded by Willie Nelson<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Chip Taylor Left Music \u2014 But Returned Years Later<\/h2>\n

Taylor recorded approximately two dozen albums over a six-decade career.<\/p>\n

After releasing seven solo albums in the 1970s, he stepped away from music entirely in 1981, transitioning into full-time professional gambling \u2014 a pursuit he maintained until 1995.<\/p>\n

He returned to music that year and eventually launched his own independent label, Train Wreck Records, in 2007.<\/p>\n

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