Danny Wood

A musically gifted teen dream, Danny Wood achieved global superstardom as a member of one of the most lucrative and popular teen idol acts ever, New Kids on the Block. The boy band raked in hundreds of millions of dollars by selling out arenas, moving oceans of merchandise, and scoring a string of smashes that included the chart toppers "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)," "Hangin' Tough" and "Step by Step" as well as additional hits like "Please Don't Go Girl" and "You Got It (The Right Stuff)." Thoroughly dominating their pop cultural era, NKOTB mania defined the childhoods of countless young girls, but by the mid-1990s, their moment was over. Wood, the band's most gifted producer, musician and technician, had co-written a 1990 No. 1 for Tommy Page, "I'll Be Your Everything," and launched a solo career with several ambitious fusion albums like 1999's D-Fuse: Room Full of Smoke and 2003's Second Face, released on his own label, Damage. Wood also starred on the U.K. reality show "Totally Boyband" (MTV, 2006) but found the most success reuniting with his bandmates for multiple projects, including a stint with Backstreet Boys known as NKOTBSB and a 2013 tour with 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men known as The Package. Although his own musical gifts were sometimes overshadowed by his New Kids on the Block pedigree, Danny Wood was a key factor in the band's success and a fascinating talent in his own right.