Jazz, blues saxophonist Ed Wiley Jr. dies at age 80 in NC after collapsing outside church

Saxophonist Ed Wiley Jr. dies from fall at age 80

RALEIGH, N.C. — Ed Wiley Jr., a jazz and blues saxophonist who recorded the 1950 hit “Cry, Cry Baby” and is considered an early influence in rock ‘n’ roll, has died in North Carolina. He was 80.

Ed Wiley III said Wednesday his father was leaving church in Garner on Sunday when he fell and struck his head. The elder Wiley slipped into a coma and died the next day at a Raleigh hospital.

In 1950, the Houston native produced “Cry, Cry Baby,” which reached No. 3 on the Billboard charts. In later years, he performed with artists ranging from jazz-blues guitarist Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown to the late R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass.

Ed Wiley Jr. is survived by his former wife, a sister, three sons, three daughters, 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

A funeral is scheduled for Friday morning in Raleigh.

(This version CORRECTS APNewsNow. Corrects in headline, 2nd paragraph that Wiley fell, didn’t collapse.)