'I Can See Clearly Now' singer Johnny Nash dies at 80

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Johnny Nash, the singer and songwriter best known for his 1972 hit "I Can See Clearly Now," died Tuesday at his home in Houston. He was 80.

His family confirmed the news to EW and said Nash died with his wife, Carlie, and son, Jonel, by his side.

A Houston native, Nash began his pop music career in the 1950s and made his major-label debut with the 1957 single "A Teenager Sings the Blues." His other notable songs included "Hold Me Tight," "You Got Soul," "Rock Me, Baby," and covers of Doris Day's "A Very Special Love" and Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World."

Nash traveled to Jamaica in 1968 and became one of the first non-Jamaican singers to record reggae music in Kingston, according to his website; he also met and worked with Bob Marley and his group the Wailers. A few years later, Nash scored his biggest hit with the reggae-influenced "I Can See Clearly Now," selling more than 1 million copies and topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart for four weeks.

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