Reggae legend Toots Hibbert dies at 77

Clark Collis
·2 min read
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Reggae legend Toots Hibbert has died at the age of 77, according to the BBC.

As the frontman of Toots & the Maytals, Hibbert released a string of classic singles including "Monkey Man," "Sweet and Dandy," "54-46 That's My Number," and "Pressure Drop," which was subsequently covered by The Clash. Both "Sweet and Dandy" and "Pressure Drop" appeared on the soundtrack to the 1973 Jamaica-set crime thriller The Harder They Come, a collection which helped popularize reggae around the world. In 2004, Toots & the Maytals won a Grammy for the album True Love, which featured re-recordings of the group's best known tracks and a guest list of musicians, which included Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, and Keith Richards. The band's most recent album, Got to Be Tough, was released just last month.

Hibbert's death was announced by his band via Twitter. According to the announcement, Hibbert died on Friday night at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica. The singer had previously tested positive for COVID-19.

Hibbert's fellow reggae singer Ziggy Marley has paid tribute to the late performer. "The Legendary Toots Hibbert has passed," Marley wrote on Twitter. "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."

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