A ‘King of the Hill’ Fan-Favorite Has Died: RIP to Music Legend Chuck Mangione

Chuck Mangione, a musician and actor known just as much for his jazz skills as his TV comedy chops, has died. He was 84.

According to WHEC, he died in his sleep this past Tuesday in his Rochester, NY home.

The 14-time Grammy-nominated musician was best known for his song “Feels So Good,” which has been in so many movies and TV shows it’d be hard to list them all.

His songs “Chase the Clouds Away” and “Give It All You Got” were both used in coverage of the 1976 and 1980 Winter Olympics, respectively, and the closing ceremony for the 1980 Olympics even saw him performing the song live on a global television broadcast.

For modern audiences, he is most famous for his recurring role on the popular animated sitcom King of the Hill, where a fictional version of himself serves as a celebrity spokesman for Mega Lo Mart and somehow finds a way to reference or play “Feels So Good” in nearly every conversation.

Rochester mayor Malik Evans published a lengthy statement honoring Mangione’s legacy.

“Please join me today in offering a thought or prayer for the Mangione family in memory of Rochester’s own Chuck Mangione, who passed away Tuesday.

Chuck Mangione was a gifted jazz musician and composer who earned international distinction, and Rochester’s pride, as a two-time Grammy winner. He was also an inductee of the Rochester Music Hall of Fame and a graduate and educator at the Eastman School of Music. He and his brother, Gap Mangione, honed their art forms in Rochester’s legendary Pythodd Club on Clarissa Street, where their family became close friends with Dizzy Gillespie.

Beyond his well-deserved accolades as a musician, Chuck and his family epitomized the strength, resilience, and compassion that the people of Rochester are so well known for. Born and raised in Northeast Rochester, Chuck attended Franklin High School and lived in the house behind his family’s grocery store on Martin Street. As the demographic and economic conditions of the neighborhood evolved, the Mangione family remained committed to their customers and the invaluable service their store provided to the community.

Famously, Mangione’s Grocery opened for business every day during the Riots of July 1964 because they knew the people of the neighborhood needed food and drink regardless of the turbulent conditions on the streets outside. Mangione’s Grocery was among the businesses in the area that were not looted or burned during the riots, which is a testament to the mutual admiration and respect shared between the Mangione family and their community.

The many virtues of this upbringing deeply resonate in the music that Chuck Mangione composed and performed on the world stage. We in Rochester are truly fortunate to hear the underlying beauty of our city in those notes that will forever be Chuck Mangione’s legacy.”