Chuck Mangione Dies: Jazz Musician & Composer was 84

Jazz musician and composer Chuck Mangione died at the age of 84. Best known for his hit song “Feels So Good,” the music icon’s family reported that he passed away peacefully in his home in Rochester, New York, on Tuesday, July 22.

In a statement from his family, they wrote: “Chuck’s love affair with music has been characterized by his boundless energy, unabashed enthusiasm, and pure joy that radiated from the stage. His appreciation for his loyal worldwide fans was genuine as evidenced by how often he would sit at the edge of the stage after a concert for however long it took to sign autographs for the fans who stayed to meet him and the band.”

During his 60-year career, Mangione well-known in the jazz world for being a world class trumpeter, flugelhorn player, and composer. He recorded more than 30 albums and was nominated for 14 Grammys, winning two for Best Instrumental Composition for “Bellavia” in 1976 and Best Pop Instrumental Performance for “Children of Sanchez” in 1979.

His hit song “Feels So Good” was recorded in 1977 for an album of the same name and was released as a single in 1978. The tune reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Easy Listening (now known as Adult Contemporary) chart.

Mangione also wrote and performed the ballad “Give It All You Got,” which became known as the theme song for the 1980 Winter Olympics, held in Lake Placid, where the “Miracle on Ice” occurred, and the U.S. men’s hockey team won the gold medal.

Mangione became known to contemporary audiences for his role on the hit animated show King of the Hill in which he played himself. In the show, Mangione was the celebrity spokesman for the fictional Mega Lo Mart and had a running gag in which any song he sang would morph into “Feels So Good.”