REGIONAL – Reggae artiste ‘Toots’ Hibbert has died

(Source: Jamaica Gleaner) – He passed away on Friday at the University Hospital of the West Indies at the age of 77.

Toots had been in a medically induced Coma.

On Tuesday, former Culture Minister Olivia Grange appealed for blood for the Jamaica icon.

Toots, a three-time winner of the Jamaica Festival Song competition, was one of the 10 finalists for 2020 and spoke with pride in an interview with The Gleaner in August about his entry, Rise Up Jamaicans.

Just over a week ago, the prolific hitmaker, who has been in the business for close to six decades, released his latest album, Got To Be Tough, on the Trojan Jamaica label.

He had been consistently touring with his band, the Maytals, 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.