IOJ hails Toots Hibbert | Entertainment

The Institute of Jamaica (IOJ) has hailed ska and reggae legend Toots Hibbert as a singer who embodied the mission of the institute by making sure his contributions to the Jamaican tradition have been preserved and will dwell on for generations to arrive.

The IOJ disclosed that in February of this calendar year, Toots donated his Yamaha guitar to the Jamaica New music Museum, the custodians of the national collection. This handover took area at the ‘Jamaica Jamaica’ exhibition at the Nationwide Gallery of Jamaica.

The donation was gained by Herbie Miller, director of the Jamaica New music Museum, and Olivia Grange, Minister of tradition, gender, amusement and sport.

“We extends our sincere condolences to the relatives and mates of Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert. He was a Reggae audio icon who committed his daily life and get the job done to the advancement and longevity of the genre. We rejoice his daily life as he has now entered into the valley with the shining mild, and we know that he will increase to that shining mild,” the IOJ said in a launch.

Frederick Nathaniel ‘Toots’ Hibbert, the frontman for the band Toots and the Maytals passed absent peacefully on Friday, surrounded by his relatives, at the College Clinic of the West Indies. He was 77.

Toots, whose catalogue contains music this kind of as 54-forty six (Was My Number), Bam Bam, Monkey Male, Reggae Bought Soul and Sweet And Dandy, also experienced performing credits. In 1972, he appeared in the cult classic film, The More difficult They Arrive, and a single of his music, Strain Drop, was component of the film’s soundtrack. Upon Toots’ passing, Strain Drop soared to the best of the iTunes Leading a hundred Reggae singles chart.