Timothy Wright, a pastor known as “the Godfather of Gospel Music,” was recovering from a head-on car crash that killed his wife, Betty Wright, and 14-year-old grandson, D.J.

Congregants at his Grace Tabernacle Christian Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., gathered for praise and remembrance yesterday, praying for Wright's recovery following the July 4 accident, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Wright was in critical condition at a hospital in Danville, Pa., but a spokesman said that he was conscious.

Founder of the Pentecostal Brooklyn church, Wright and his family were returning from a Church of God in Christ conference in Detroit when their vehicle was struck by the driver of a wrong-way car, who was killed, the AP reported.

Along with The N.Y. Fellowship Mass Choir, Wright was nominated for a GRAMMY award for best traditional soul gospel album for 1994's Come Thou Almighty King (Savoy Records). Wright, 61, has released more than a dozen gospel recordings, including Jesus, Jesus, Jesus (Koch Records), which was released last year.

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