Legendary reggae singer and pioneer Bunny Wailer died in the Medical Associates Hospital in Kingston this morning Tuesday, March 2, 2021. He was 73.
“Yes. He died about 8:00 this morning. I’m still right here with him,” his manager Maxine Stowe confirmed according to the Jamaica Observer.
Bunny Wailer had been in and out of hospital since his second stroke in July 2020.
Wailer was born Neville O’Riley Livingston on April 10, 1947, and was the last surviving member of The iconic reggae group, The Wailers.
He literally grew up with Marley from early childhood: Marley’s mother and Wailer’s father joined households in Kingston, and had a daughter together.
Marley died of cancer in May 11, 1981, while Tosh was killed at his St Andrew home on September 11, 1987.
Bunny Wailer’s albums include Blackheart Man, released in 1976, and Rock ‘n’ Groove which came out five years later.
His hit songs include Cool Runnings, Ballroom Floor, Crucial, and Bald Head Jesus.
But with Bob Marley and the Wailers, Bunny helped craft such hits as “Is This Love”, “Jammin”, “I Shot the Sherrif” and more.
Most of Bob Marley’s early music was recorded with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, who together with Marley were the most prominent members of the Wailers.
In 1972, the Wailers had their first hit outside Jamaica when Johnny Nash covered their song “Stir It Up”, which became a UK hit. The 1973 album Catch a Fire was released worldwide, and sold well. It was followed by Burnin’, which included the song “I Shot the Sheriff”.
Eric Clapton’s cover of the song became a hit in 1974.
Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer left the Wailers in 1974. Bob Marley proceeded with Bob Marley and the Wailers, which included the Wailers Band and the I Threes.
In 2017, the Jamaican Government awarded Bunny Wailer an Order of Merit, the country’s fourth highest honour. The Government again recognised his contribution to Jamaican music in February 2019 with a Reggae Gold Award.
In a 2016 NPR interview in New York — during his first U.S. tour in more than two decades — Wailer stated that he hoped to “just keep on singing ska, rocksteady and reggae music. That’s my legacy: to sing for you people and to teach you people of what I’ve known by singing this music.”
For more of The Wailers music, you can see the playlist below:
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