Reggae pioneer Frederick “Toots” Hibbert has died at the age of 77 after being in a medically induced coma. The founding singer of Toots and the Maytals, who passed away at the UWI hospital had recently been diagnosed with Covid-19. Hibbert “passed away peacefully” surrounded by his family on Friday, 11th September 2020.

Toots is credited for helping to popularize reggae music and even for giving the genre its name.  His 1968 single ‘Do the Reggay’ was the first time the term reggae was used in a song. Toots and the Maytals are best known for the hits ‘Bam Bam’, ‘Pressure Drop’, ‘Monkey Man’ and ‘54-46’ (That’s My Number). ‘Pressure Drop’ was featured on the soundtrack of the film ‘The Harder They Come’ – which introduced many US fans to reggae – and it was later introduced to the UK when the Clash covered the track.

In a statement, his family said: “It is with the heaviest of hearts to announce that Frederick Nathaniel ‘Toots’ Hibbert passed away peacefully tonight [Friday], surrounded by his family at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica.” His death came after Tuesday, former Culture Minister Olivia Grange appealed for blood for the Jamaica icon. The cause of death is still unknown.

Toots is a three-time winner of the Jamaica Festival Song competition and was one of the 10 finalists for 2020. His death comes just weeks before the release of the band’s first full-length album ‘Got to Be Tough’; the first in more than a decade. The band has been touring since the early 1970s, when his landmark album Funky Kingston made him a global superstar, opening for groups such as The Who and the Eagles.

Links and references

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54129388