Obituary: Toots Hibbert - the man who coined the word reggae - INTERNATIONAL AGENCY FOR JOURNALISM AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

Obituary: Toots Hibbert - the man who coined the word reggae

2020-09-12 17:18:43

Toots Hibbert, frontman of the legendary reggae band Toots and the Maytals, has died at the age of 77. One of Jamaica's most influential musicians, he helped popularise reggae in the 1960s with songs like Pressure Drop, Monkey Man and Funky Kingston. He even claimed to have coined the genre's name, on 1968's Do The Reggay. Hibbert's family said he had died on Friday. The cause was not disclosed, but he had recently been taken to hospital with Covid-like symptoms. The musician was later placed in a medically induced coma, and a spokesman said the musician was "fighting for his life." A charismatic and soulful performer, Hibbert scored 31 number one singles in Jamaica. Thanks to his full-throated vocals, he was often referred to as "The Otis Redding of Reggae" - but he was always Toots.