Toots Hibbert, of Toots & the Maytals, has died.
The reggae star passed away yesterday (11 September) at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica. He was 77. The cause of his death has not been disclosed, and the singer was recently taken to hospital where he was placed into a medically-induced coma.
Hibbert is survived by his wife, Miss D, and seven children. A statement reads: “The family and his management team would like to thank the medical teams and professionals for their care and diligence, and ask that you respect their privacy during their time of grief.”
It is with the heaviest of hearts to announce that Frederick Nathaniel “Toots” Hibbert passed away peacefully tonight, surrounded by his family at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica… pic.twitter.com/zOb6yRpJ7n
— Toots & The Maytals (@tootsmaytals) September 12, 2020
The musician was born in May Pen, Jamaica, in 1942. In our latest issue, he wrote an article about how a childhood spent in church launched his 40-year-strong career. The star had 31 number one singles in Jamaica. Some of his best known hits include Pressure Drop, Monkey Man and Funky Kingston. Hibbert was the first to use the term reggae, which he said invented with his 1968 track Do the Reggay.
