The Beach is based solely on a 1990 novel.
Mark Eugene Gray -LRB- October 24 , 1952 -- December 2 , 2016 -RRB- was an American singer-songwriter and country music artist .. country music. country music. He recorded both as a solo artist for Columbia Records and as a member of the country pop band Exile , of which he was a member between 1979 and 1982 .. Columbia. Columbia Records. Exile. Exile ( American band ). Columbia Records. Columbia Records. country pop. country pop. Gray 's solo career included three albums and eight Top 40 country hits , of which the highest-peaking is the No. 6 Tammy Wynette duet `` Sometimes When We Touch '' , a cover of the Dan Hill song .. Tammy Wynette. Tammy Wynette. Sometimes When We Touch. Sometimes When We Touch. Dan Hill. Dan Hill. Gray also co-wrote `` Take Me Down '' and `` The Closer You Get '' , both of which were originally recorded by Exile and later became Number One hits for Alabama .. Exile. Exile ( American band ). Take Me Down. Take Me Down. The Closer You Get. The Closer You Get ( song ). Alabama. Alabama ( band ). Other songs that Gray co-wrote include `` It Ai n't Easy Being Easy '' for Janie Fricke and `` Second Hand Heart '' for Gary Morris .. Janie Fricke. Janie Fricke. Gary Morris. Gary Morris. He died on December 2 , 2016 , at the age of 64 .