Iconic Reggae music star, Bunny Wailer, has died at the age of 73 on Tuesday at the Medical Associates Hospital in Kingston, Jamaica, according to Jamaica Observer.
The death of the three-time Grammy Awards winner was confirmed by his manager Maxine Stowe, and Jamaica’s Culture Minister, Olivia Grange.
“Yes. He died about 8:00 this morning. I’m still right here with him,” Stowe revealed to Jamaica Online in a chat.
Although the cause of death remains unknown, Wailer had been in and out of the hospital since suffering a second stroke in 2020.
Wailer was originally born Neville Livingstone — before adopting his famous moniker and he was also known as Bunny Livingstone.
He was a founding member of the original Wailers trio with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Marley died of cancer on May 11, 1981, while Tosh was killed at his St Andrew home on September 11, 1987.
Marley and Wailer were being mentored by Joe Higgs, “the Godfather of Reggae,” before they met Higgs’ fellow student Peter Tosh; the then-trio ventured to Kingston, taking the world by storm. – Rolling Stone
The music icon changed the name Livingstone when he exited The Wailers group and took to become Bunny Wailer. He then released his solo album Blackheart Man afterwards which featured contributions from Wailer’s band mainstays and reggae legends like Sly and Robbie and Aston “Family Man” Barrett.
Wailer whose career spanned seven decades was given Jamaica’s Order Of Merit in 2017 by the government, the country’s fourth-highest honour.
Observer added that Wailer’s contribution to Jamaican music was recognised with a Reggae Gold Award in February 2019.
