Wednesday, January 02, 2019 02:11PM
NEW YORK -- Daryl Dragon, the "Captain" of "The Captain and Tennille," has died.

Dragon died early Wednesday at a hospice in Prescott, Arizona.

Spokesman Harlan Boll said he was 76 and died of renal failure.

His former wife and musical partner, Toni Tennille, was by his side.

The Captain and Tennille had a run of easy listening hits in the 1970s, notably the chart-topping "Love Will Keep Us Together."

Their other songs included "Muskrat Love," ''Shop Around" and "Do That to Me One More Time."

The couple separated in 2013 and divorced the following year.

But they remained close, according to Boll, and Tennille even moved to Arizona to help care for Dragon.

A classically trained pianist, Dragon performed at times with the Beach Boys before meeting Tennille in the early 1970s.

Okerlund, Einstein, and the Captain makes three! RIP to all.

Man, so sad. I remember years back Toni Tennille in an interview stated that they had to separate to allow for medical coverage. How sad is that?

Daryl Dragon was a great foil for Toni outgoing stage presence. His keyboard was so excellent, worked with Dennis Wilson when he started to try his hand in solo work.

Also played on Beach Boy albums and so many more. God Bless you Daryl, seen you live twice with Toni and enjoyed the shows immensely.

From what I'd read previously, there were multiple reasons for the divorce and medical coverage didn't seem to be an issue. It was more that they had never had a traditional marriage and that it was more the act. I'm not saying that's the end all of things, but I also don't think this relationship is one that can be tied in a bow and made to sound better than it was. Maybe more will come out in time and maybe it won't, but to this point, the medical coverage angle was never noted as being the primary issue of their divorce.

Toni Tennille came out with an autobiography a few years back and in it, she said that he was very distant emotionally and not very affectionate. I believe he grew up with an overbearing and emotionally abusive father.

Here is a quote from Toni Tenille and some more info about Daryl.

"He was a brilliant musician with many friends who loved him greatly. I was at my most creative in my life, when I was with him," Toni Tennille, Dragon's longtime partner and ex-wife, said in remembrance. She was with him when he died.

Dragon came from a musical family. His father was an Academy Award-winning composer and conductor and his mother was a singer who worked on Bing Crosby recordings among many others.

A classically trained pianist, Dragon played keyboard for The Beach Boys from 1967-1972, where he was given the nickname "Captain" by lead singer Mike Love due to Dragon's penchant for wearing a captain's hat onstage.

In 1971, Dragon met his future wife, Tennille, when she hired him to play piano for a musical called Mother Earth. Shortly thereafter, Dragon suggested that Tennille join The Beach Boys on their next tour as an acoustic pianist. While on the tour, Dragon and Tennille soon began a romantic and musical relationship, performing in smaller venues together when not on tour with the Beach Boys.

Going by the stage name The Captain and Tennille, the duo quickly formed a following. On the strength of the song "The Way I Want to Touch You," the team scored a record deal with A&M Records in 1974. Their song "Love Will Keep Us Together" climbed to No. 1 in Nov. 1974, where it remained for eight weeks. It won the Grammy for record of the year the following year.

Married in 1975, Dragon and Tennille remained together until finalizing their divorce in 2014, but remained close friends.

Dragon is survived by his older brother Doug and two nieces, Kelly Arbout and Renee Henn.

There are no services planned, by request of Dragon.

RIP

Daryl Dragon (The Captain) is 71. Yeah, it's Dragon.

Daryl tells TMZ ... "I don't know why she filed. I gotta figure it out for myself first." He also said they're still living together in the same house.

According to the divorce docs, obtained by TMZ, there's special mention about health insurance coverage, and that seems relevant, because in 2009 Toni blogged that Daryl had been diagnosed with Parkinson's. In 2011 Toni updated the message, saying Daryl's tremors were so bad he was embarrassed to go out in public ... to restaurants, the movies, etc.

Here's what's unclear -- whether it's possible Toni really filed for health insurance reasons ... whether his coverage might be better if they were divorced.

After all is said and done, I think it is great that Toni was with him at the end, in spite of any reason for the divorce. May he rest in peace and I wish peace of mind for Toni and his family and friends.

Dragon, Einstein and Okerland were all 76 years old.

R.I.P.

RIP.

Well damn. Rip Captain.
People from my youth passing away is a sad , odd thing.
I really liked captain and tennille

Hope you and DW are rocking out together again. Rest In Peace.

Not so much better coverage, but asset protection for her. If he had to go into a nursing home for an extended period, that could have wiped both of them out, but the divorce put only half of the communal assets at stake.

My mom passed away from Ovarian cancer in 2011. The year before that (while treating her cancer), she had a massive stroke (at age 64). She ended up in assisted living and lived there for over a year till she passed. My point is what you said to a point. Living in that place had her on state aid. When she passed, the state took her house. Had she been married, it might have been different. But the state takes what it put into a persons care. Toni would have been financially ruined or close to it.

RIP.