Jamaican reggae legend Toots Hibbert has Died

Toots Hibbert Of โ€˜Toots And The Maytalsโ€™ Dies At 77

Jamaican reggae pioneer Frederick Nathaniel โ€œTootsโ€ Hibbert has died at the age of 77.

Frederick Nathaniel โ€œTootsโ€ Hibbert, the lead singer and songwriter of , died Friday in Kingston, Jamaica. He was 77.

Hibbert โ€œpassed away peacefullyโ€ in Kingston, Jamaica surrounded by his family, the group announced via social media on Friday.

โ€œIt is with the heaviest of hearts to announce that Frederick Nathaniel โ€œTootsโ€ Hibbert passed away peacefully tonight, surrounded by his family at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica,โ€ Toots and the Maytals posted on Instagram.

In the statement, the band and Hibbertโ€™s family thanked medical staff โ€œfor their care and diligenceโ€. He is survived by his wife and seven of his eight children.

Toots had been in a medically induced Coma, according to the Jamaica Observer.

The cause of death was not revealed, but his Facebook page confirmed on Aug. 31 that Hibbert was tested for coronavirus in the last two weeks and placed in intensive care.

The legendary musician fronted the reggae and ska band Toots and the Maytals from the early 1960s.

Jamaican Reggae Pioneers Toots Hibbert Of Toots And The Maytals Dead At 77
Photo credit: Twitter (@tootsmaytals)

His 1968 song โ€œDo The Reggayโ€ is credited with naming Jamaicaโ€™s signature beat, Reggae, but his artistry defied boundaries. Other popular tracks include โ€œPressure Drop,โ€ โ€œSweet and Dandy,โ€ and โ€œ54-46 Thatโ€™s My Number.โ€

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwezlHfvE9U

In 2012, he was conferred the Order of Jamaica, the countryโ€™s fifth highest honor.

His death comes just weeks before the release of Got to Be Tough, the bandโ€™s first full-length album in more than a decade.

Tributes poured in for the legendary musician on social media.

Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica expressed that he โ€œmourns with all Jamaicans.

โ€œToday I mourn with all Jamaicans as we woke to news of the passing of our very own legendary Reggae singer Frederick โ€œTootsโ€ Hibbert from the iconic band, โ€œToots and the Maytalsโ€. Toots died at the University Hospital of the West Indies in St Andrew on Friday evening,โ€ the politician tweeted earlier today.

Ziggy Marley, son of reggae icon , wrote on Twitter that Hibbert was โ€œa father figure to meโ€.

โ€œThe Legendary

Reggae and pop group UB40 said Hibbertโ€™s music โ€œinfluenced and inspired them to love reggae music from an early age.โ€

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