Chuck Mangione, ‘Feels So Good’ Hitmaker & Beloved Jazz Musician, Dies at 84

Chuck Mangione, a leading figure in contemporary jazz and the musician behind crossover hit “Feels So Good,” has died. He was 84.

The news was reported Thursday (July 24) by Rochester First, a local newspaper in Mangione’s hometown of Rochester, N.Y. The instrumentalist died two days prior, with Bartolomeo & Perreto Funeral Home noting that he passed away in his sleep.

Born Nov. 29, 1940, Mangione grew up listening to jazz music and learning from the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, who was a “family friend,” according to Mangione’s bio on Spotify. An alum of Eastman School of Music — where he would later serve as faculty director of the Eastman Jazz Orchestra — Mangione played in a quintet called the Jazz Brothers with his brother, keyboardist Gap, and performed in Woody Herman and Maynard Ferguson’s big bands.

As an artist in his own right, Mangione infused his compositions with lighter, pop-inspired techniques that ultimately helped him reach the mainstream, despite his more niche musical background. He scored five entries on the Billboard Hot 100 in his lifetime with the tracks “Hill Where the Lord Hides,” “Chase the Clouds Away,” “Land of Make Believe,” “Give It All You Got” and, of course, “Feels So Good,” which reached No. 4 on the chart in 1978 — a rare feat for an instrumental pop-jazz recording. Mangione charted 17 albums on the Billboard 200, with Feels So Good earning him his career highest peak at No. 2.

Mangione was also a Grammy winner, taking home two of his 14 total nominations. In 1977, he won best instrumental composition for “Bellavia,” and two years later, he was awarded best pop instrumental performance for “Children Of Sanchez.”

Both a trumpeter and flugelhorn player, Mangione became recognizable not just for his music, but also for his distinct look. Voicing himself as a recurring character on King of the Hill, he was always depicted with his signature hat and long hairstyle on the animated series.

Notable moments in Mangione’s career also included his association with the Olympics, which used his track “Chase the Clouds Away” in the 1976 Games. Two years later, he performed “Give It All You Got” at the 1980 Winter Games closing ceremony in Lake Placid, N.Y.

This article was first published by Billboard U.S.