Legendary reggae
Singer Toots Hibbert has died at the age of 77.
The musician, who was the frontman of pioneering reggae group Toots And The Maytals, died in hospital in Jamaica on Friday night, his representative confirmed. Toots, whose real name was Frederick Nathaniel Hibbert, was being treated for suspected
Coronavirus at the University Hospital of the West Indies in the Caribbean island’s capital, Kingston.
However, his cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
A statement from his representative said: “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.
“The family and management 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.
“Mr Hibbert is survived by his wife of 39 years, Miss D, and his seven of eight children.”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, 2020On September 1, Toots’ management confirmed he had been admitted to intensive care with suspected Covid-19 and was awaiting the results of a test.
They said he was “resting and in good spirits, and is showing signs of improvement by the hour”.
Toots And The Maytals’ hits include 54-46 (That’s My Number) and Pressure Drop, while their 1968 single Do The Reggay is credited with giving the reggae genre its name.
They released Got To Be Tough – their first album in a decade – last month, which included a cover of Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds, featuring his son Ziggy Marley.
Ziggy was among the first to pay tribute to Toots online.
He tweeted: “The Legendary Toots Hibbert has passed i spoke w/him a few wks ago told him how much i loved him we laughed & shared our mutual respect.
“He was a father figure to me his spirit is w/us his
music fills us w/his energy i will never forget him RIP MIGHTY & POWERFUL NYAH FYAH BALL.”The Legendary Toots Hibbert has passed i spoke w/him a few wks ago told him how much i loved him we laughed & shared our mutual respect. He was a father figure to me his spirit is w/us his music fills us w/his energy i will never forget him RIP MIGHTY & POWERFUL NYAH FYAH BALL 😢 pic.twitter.com/zIofrbYZU0— Ziggy Marley (@ziggymarley) September 12, 2020Sir Lenny Henry added: “So sorry to hear of Toots Hibbert’s death. His music was a constant in our house growing up via Tighten up albums. His voice was powerful and adaptable to funk, soul, country, AND reggae. Rest in power…”Toots & The Maytals - Funky Kingston https://t.co/iRNOtswHKN via @YouTube So sorry to hear of Toots Hibbert’s death. His music was a constant in our house growing up via Tighten up albums. His voice was powerful and adaptable to funk, soul, country, AND reggae. Rest in power...— Lenny Henry (@LennyHenry) September 12, 2020Many other names from across the music industry also paid tribute online...Tonight at 7pm (U.K. time) Join us for a listening to celebrate the life and music of Toots Hibbert. Sweet And Dandy by Toots and the Maytals is the album we’ll be playing. No tweets from me, no guests, just those brilliant songs.Safe travels Toots x pic.twitter.com/kSqJD5Wm9O— Tim Burgess (@Tim_Burgess) September 12, 2020"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," his family said. RIP Toots. You rocked this world - thank you .— Cerys Matthews (@cerysmatthews) September 12, 2020God bless Toots Hibbert, the world will truly not be the same. I DJed for him many times and spent one of my favourite ever hours doing the Reggae Show with him. Too sad, let's celebrate him. Join me in posting a favouritehttps://t.co/hsuZZV1BMb— Mark Lamarr (@lamarr_mark) September 12, 2020 View this post on InstagramA post shared by Ghostpoet (@ghostpoet) on Sep 12, 2020 at 12:55am PDTSuch sad news.. thank you for the music and complete joy you have given us. Love to all Toots family and
Friends xxxx https://t.co/9kquhjBsIR— edith bowman (@edibow) September 12, 2020Thanks for the incredible music and all the memories Toots. Here’s one from 2010 on West Holts. Rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/o7st7Qknib— Emily Eavis (@emilyeavis) September 12, 2020