Bunny Wailer, the legendary Jamaican reggae singer, who founded the Wailers with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, has died at the age of 73.
Born Neville Livingston, the singer died at a hospital in Jamaica after suffering a stroke.
He co-founded The Wailers trio in 1963 after he met Marley and Tosh at a young age. They would later catapult to fame with such albums as “Catch a Fire.”
The Wailers toured the world and had several hit songs including “Simmer Down,” “Lonesome Feeling,” and “Thank You Lord.”
According to Bunny Wailer’s Manager Maxine Stowe, the three-time Grammy winner died Tuesday at the Andrews Memorial Hospital from complications from a stroke he had last July.
Bob Marley died in 1981 of a brain tumor at 36 years old and Tosh was fatally shot in Jamaica in 1987 at 42 years old.
Wailer and Tosh eventually left the group to became a solo artist, while Marley began touring with new band members as Bob Marley and the Wailers.
But Bunny Wailer recorded 10 albums,
He received several of Jamaica’s highest honors, including the Order of Merit and the Order of Jamaica.
“This is a great loss for Jamaica and for Reggae,” said Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, calling him “a respected elder statesman of the Jamaican music scene.”
He received several of Jamaica’s highest honors, including the Order of Merit and the Order of Jamaica.
He leaves behind 13 children. His wife, Jean Watt, went missing in May 2020. Her whereabouts is unknown.