Skipping Comic Book Sunday this week.
Tomorrow, for official Music Monday, Ozzy Osbourne.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Mangione
I am not going to claim to be a huge Chuck Mangione fan.
Jazz Legend Chuck Mangione Dead at 84: Cause of Death Revealed
Chuck Mangione is well-known in the music world for being a top-tier trumpeter, flugelhorn player and composer.
But reports surfaced on Thursday that he had passed away at the age of 84.
The report came from TMZ, and they also revealed the cause of death, with natural causes being the reason.
"Famed jazz musician Chuck Mangione is dead ... TMZ has confirmed. The flugelhorn and trumpet player died this week at his home in Rochester, New York ... according to his manager. We're told Chuck died from natural causes."
A report from Evan Bourtis of WHEC NBC also mentioned Mangione died Tuesday in his sleep in Rochester.
Mangione released more than 30 albums during his music career, but his biggest hit song was "Feels So Good." He earned 14 Grammy nominations during his legendary music career while winning two Grammys.
His career began with the band called the "Jazz Brothers" as Chuck played alongside his brother, Gap, who played the piano.
Mangione also made an appearance on the sitcom "King of the Hill", and one clip surfaced after the death of the musician.
Perhaps his biggest moment was at the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid when he performed “Give It All You Got” at the closing ceremonies
Mangione was born in Rochester, New York, and in 2012, he was inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame.
Jazz Legend Chuck Mangione Dead at 84: Cause of Death Revealed first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 24, 2025
He made jazz cool again — now Chuck Mangione is gone
The Grammy-winning flugelhornist behind Feels So Good has passed at 84
This week feels unusually heavy. In the span of a few days, we’ve lost three cultural giants: rock legend Ozzy Osbourne, wrestling icon Hulk Hogan, and now jazz master Chuck Mangione. While they operated in vastly different arenas, their shared ability to define entire eras makes their collective loss feel seismic.
Chuck Mangione may not have screamed into a mic or wrestled in the ring, but he mastered something just as powerful: joy. With a flugelhorn in hand, he crafted soundtracks for warm nights, Olympic dreams, and quiet mornings. He didn’t just play jazz—he made it approachable, lovable, and deeply felt.
A Rochester childhood steeped in jazz tradition
Long before the world came to know Chuck Mangione’s signature groove, he was just a boy growing up in Rochester, New York, surrounded by music. Born on November 29, 1940, to Italian-American parents, Mangione grew up in a household that welcomed musicians—not just for concerts, but for dinner. Jazz great Art Blakey was among the many visitors at the Mangione family table, influencing Chuck and his brother Gap early on.
From The Jazz Brothers to Grammy gold
In the early '60s, Chuck and his brother Gap performed together as The Jazz Brothers. Their sound was bold yet smooth, bringing together the soulful pulse of hard bop with accessible melodies. Chuck later stepped out as a solo artist, recording over 30 albums over six decades.
By the late '70s, Mangione had become a fixture in the jazz world—earning 14 Grammy nominations and two wins. His 1977 composition Bellavia, named after his mother, won the Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition. Two years later, he claimed Best Pop Instrumental Performance for the Children of Sanchez soundtrack, another expansive, emotionally resonant piece.
Feels So Good—the song that made jazz a household sound
Then came 1978. That year, Chuck Mangione released the track that would define his career and alter the perception of jazz for an entire generation: Feels So Good.
The instrumental soared to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and ruled the Adult Contemporary charts. Its warm, looping melody and Chuck’s signature flugelhorn tone turned smooth jazz into something radio-friendly, movie-worthy, and endlessly hummable.
In a 2008 interview, Mangione acknowledged its impact: “That song … took it to a whole other level.” He wasn’t wrong—decades later, Feels So Good still shows up everywhere, from Friends to Doctor Strange and The Simpsons.
The Olympic composer who captured hope
Mangione wasn’t just making hits—he was also soundtracking moments of global unity. His composition Chase the Clouds Away was featured in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Then, for the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, he composed Give It All You Got, performing it live at the closing ceremony.
These tracks carried the same optimism that defined his broader body of work. They were uplifting without being cloying, expansive yet personal—qualities that helped turn Mangione into more than a performer. He was a musical ambassador.
Personality in performance—and real life
People who met Chuck Mangione almost always say the same thing: he was as generous in person as he was with his sound. Fans recall him staying long after shows to sign programs, chat, and share stories.
Colleagues at Eastman described him as larger-than-life yet humble, a band leader who never made it about ego. “He inspired generations,” said one colleague. His performances were described by family and fans as “pure joy that radiated from the stage.”
Becoming a sitcom legend on King of the Hill
In the late 1990s, Chuck Mangione did something few jazz artists have done: he became a cartoon character. On King of the Hill, he voiced a zany, fictionalized version of himself, forever tethered to Mega Lo Mart and (of course) Feels So Good.
The animated Mangione was hilariously self-aware, often popping out of supermarket shelves or hiding in warehouses. And yet, it worked. The recurring gag introduced Mangione to a younger, sitcom-loving audience who may not have known him otherwise.
The gig lasted multiple seasons and became one of the show's most beloved inside jokes. And it gave Chuck Mangione something rare in the jazz world: pop culture icon status.
Retirement, community, and a peaceful goodbye
In 2015, Chuck Mangione retired from active touring. But even in retirement, he continued shaping music in Rochester—mentoring young musicians and participating in community concerts.
When he passed away in his sleep on July 22, 2025, his daughter shared a short, heartfelt statement confirming his death. His longtime attorney added that he died of natural causes, peacefully and without pain. A private funeral is planned, in keeping with the family’s wishes.
Why Chuck Mangione’s legacy endures
With the death of Chuck Mangione, we lose more than just a musician—we lose a feeling. His work bridged the divide between jazz and mainstream, bringing joy and melody to people who didn’t think they liked jazz at all.
He offered fans emotional honesty without showmanship, technical skill without arrogance, and community without condition. From Olympic stadiums to late-night TV reruns, Mangione’s music met people where they were—and made them smile.
In a week already marked by the loss of legends like Ozzy Osbourne and Hulk Hogan, Chuck Mangione’s passing underscores the breadth of culture we’re saying goodbye to. But if we’re lucky, his music will keep playing. It still feels so good.
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- Days ago: MOM = 3678 days ago & DAD = 332 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
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