Founding member of legendary reggae group The Wailers, Bunny Wailer, has passed away at the age of 73.
Bunny’s death was confirmed by his manager, Maxine Stowe, and Jamaica’s Culture Minister, Olivia Grange. His cause of death is currently not known but he had been in hospital since last July after having a stroke.
Before going solo in 1974, Bunny – real name Neville Livingstone – had formed The Wailers with the late stars Bob Marley and Peter Tosh in 1963, going on to achieve international success after working on Marley’s first two albums.
Bunny went on to win three Grammys and in 2017, he was also given Jamaica’s Order Of Merit.
Many have taken to social media to pay tribute to Bunny following news of his death.
“The passing of Bunny Wailer, the last of the original Wailers, brings to a close the most vibrant period of Jamaica’s musical experience,” wrote Jamaica politician Peter Phillips in a Facebook post. “Bunny was a good, conscious Jamaican brethren.”