[ad_1]
Image copyright
fake images
Toots Hibbert had reportedly been tested for coronavirus in the past two weeks
Jamaican reggae pioneer Frederick Nathaniel “Toots” Hibbert died at the age of 77.
The legendary musician led the reggae and ska band Toots & the Maytals of the early 1960s.
Hibbert “passed away peacefully” in Kingston, Jamaica, surrounded by his family, the group announced Friday.
So far it is unknown how Hibbert died, although he had been tested for coronavirus in the last two weeks and was placed in intensive care.
Hibbert is credited with popularizing reggae music and even the name of the genre: his 1968 single “Do the Reggay” is the first song to use the term.
Other popular tracks include Pressure Drop, Sweet and Dandy, and 54-46 That’s My Number.
In a statement, the band and Hibbert’s family thanked the medical staff “for their care and diligence.” He is survived by his wife and seven of his eight children.
His death comes just weeks before the release of Got to Be Tough, the band’s first full-length album in more than a decade.
Described as “the world’s greatest living reggae singer” in a Rolling Stone profile last month, his vocal style has been compared to Otis Redding. The magazine lists him as one of the 100 greatest singers of all time.
The tributes reached the legendary musician on social media.
British actor and comedian Sir Lenny Henry said he was “very sorry” to learn of his death.
“His music was a constant in our house as we grew up”, he tweeted. “His voice was powerful and adaptable to funk, soul, country and reggae. Rest in power.”
And Ziggy Marley, son of reggae icon Bob Marley, wrote on Twitter that Hibbert was “a father figure to me.”
[ad_2]
