Tributes continue to flood social media platforms following the passing of Reggae great, Toots Hibbert.
The Rolling Stones frontman, Mick Jagger on Facebook expressed deep regret at the passing of Frederick ‘Toots” Hibbert. On the social media site, he wrote, “So sad to hear of Toots Hibbert’s passing. When I first heard Pressure Drop that was a big moment; he had such a powerful voice and on stage, he always gave the audience his total energy. A sad loss to the music world.”
Toots and the Maytals opened for the Rolling Stones on several tours in the United States and Europe.
Toots had been consistently touring with his band, the Maytals, since the early 1970s, when his landmark album Funky Kingston (one of the greatest reggae albums of all time) made him a global superstar opening for the Who and the Eagles.
Toots and the Maytals’ bass player, Jackie Jackson remembers Toots Hibbert as a passionate performer with a great big personality.
Formed in the 1960s, his band Toots and the Maytals helped popularise reggae music. The group’s 1968 single Do The Reggay was the first song to use the word “reggae” naming the genre and introducing it to a global audience.
The group’s popular songs include Monkey Man, Sweet And Dandy, Bam Bam, and Pomps And Pride.
Jeffery ‘Cable’ Stephenson, Manager of the legendary reggae group said Toots Hibbert was a general.
Claude Mills the band’s publicist said the legacy of Toots Hibbert will live on through his words and his works.
Toots died on Friday. September 11 at the University Hospital of the West Indies. According to a release, he passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family.
On Instagram, Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness wrote, “Today I mourn with all Jamaicans as we woke to news of the passing of our very own legendary Fredrick ‘Toots’ Hibert from the iconic band, Toots and the Maytals. The PM said Toots added significant value to Brand Jamaica, and he will be remembered as one of Jamaica’s best musical talents.
Other tributes for Toots Hibbert on social media came from Ziggy Marley, Sean Paul, Shaggy, Bounty Killer, Morgan Heritage, Agent Sasco, Tarrus Riley, and countless others.
CNN, USA Today, TMZ, and the BBC are some of the international media outlets who covered the passing Toots Hibbert, Jamaica’s Reggae Ambassador, and leader of the Toots and the Maytals.
The Jamaican cultural icon recently participated in the island’s annual Festival Song competition which he won three times.
He and his band won the Grammy Award for best reggae album in 2005. In 2012, Toots Hibbert was awarded an Order of Distinction for his contribution to Jamaica’s music.
On August 28, Toots Hibbert released his last album ‘Got To Be Tough.’
He was 77-years old.