‘Toots’ Frederick Hibbert, Jamaican reggae legend, dies aged 77

Jamaican reggae legend Frederick Hibbert, “Toots”, has died aged 77. Hibbert passed away peacefully in Jamaica surrounded by his family at the University Hospital of the West Indies. While the cause of his death has not been announced, Hibbert had been taken to intensive care and was waiting to receive the results of a covid test.

Frederick Hibbert is survived by his wife of 39 years and seven of his eight children.

Hibbert’s death comes weeks after the band released “Got To Be Tough”, its first album in more than a decade. Ziggy Marley, the son of reggae star Bob Marley, contributed to the album, featuring on a cover of his late father’s song “Three Little Birds”. Paying his respects to Hibbert on social media, Marley tweeted that he saw the musician as a “father figure” before adding that he would “never forget” him.

Marley also said the pair had spoken a few weeks before Hibbert’s death. The band’s hits include “Pressure Drop”, “Monkey Man”, and “Do The Reggay”, the last of which is said to have given the genre its name.