Tyrone Downie And Bob Marley.Photo: David Corio/Redferns/Getty
Tyrone Downie, a Jamaican-born keyboardist known for his work in Bob Marley and the Wailers, has died. He was 66.
The musician died on Saturday at a hospital in Jamaica after “feeling ill,” his partner Bernadine Simpson reportedly toldThe Jamaica Gleaner. His exact cause of death is currently unknown.
Born on May 20, 1956 in Kingston, Jamaica, Downie studied at Kingston College and performed in the school’s chapel choir, accordingtoBillboard, before playing in the group Impact All Stars.
The Wailers.Manfred Schmid/Redferns via Getty
Downie played with the band on their subsequent five studio albums — 1977’sExodus, 1978’sKaya, 1979’sSurvival, 1980’sUprisingand 1983’sConfrontation— as well as including “Redemption Song” and “Three Little Birds.” Released two years after Marley’s death at age 36 in 1981,Confrontationwas the group’s final album. Members of the Wailers have since reunited for several performances.
Unbeknownst to him, the keyboardist was also the subject of Grace Jones' 1983 single “My Jamaican Guy.” In 2010, she revealed the song’s inspiration toThe Guardian. “I couldn’t have him because he was with somebody else. He was a beautiful guy. He doesn’t even know I wrote it about him,” she said at the time. “Well, he’ll know now.”
In 2001, Downie released his first and only solo album,Organ-D.
Tyrone Downie.Roberto Ricciuti/Redferns/Getty
The Marley-founded Tuff Gong studio in Kingston also posted a note about Downie’s death toTwitter, writing, “We are saddened to learn of the passing of Wailers keyboardist, Tyrone Downie. Tyrone joined the Wailers just before the age of 20, making his recording debut with the band onRastaman Vibration. We are blessed to count him as a member of the Tuff Gong Family.”
source: people.com
