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Bunny Wailer, a reggae luminary who was the last surviving founding member of the legendary group The Wailers, died on Tuesday in his native Jamaica. He was 73 years old.
Wailer, a baritone singer whose birth name is Neville Livingston, formed The Wailers in 1963 with past stars Bob Marley and Peter Tosh when they lived in a slum in the capital Kingston. They catapulted to international fame with the album “Catch a Fire” and also helped to popularize Rastafarian culture among better off Jamaicans from the 1970s.
“Jah-B was a vanguard, always pushing the boundaries of expression, whether in music, style or spoken word,” said Brian Paul Welsh, a local reggae musician known as Blvk H3ro. “There was and can only be one Neville Livingston.”
Wailer died at Andrews Memorial Hospital in the Jamaican parish of St. Andrew from complications from a stroke he suffered in July, manager Maxine Stowe told the Associated Press.
His death was mourned around the world as people shared music, memories and photos of the renowned artist.
“The passing of Bunny Wailer, the last of the original Wailers, ends the most vibrant period of Jamaica’s musical experience,” wrote Jamaican politician Peter Phillips in a Facebook post. “Bunny was a good and conscientious Jamaican brother.”
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Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness also paid tribute to Wailer, calling him “a respected older statesman on the Jamaican music scene” in a series of tweets.
“This is a big loss for Jamaica and Reggae. Undoubtedly, Bunny Wailer will always be remembered for his excellent contribution to Jamaica’s music industry and culture,” he wrote.
While Wailer toured the world, he felt more at home in the mountains of Jamaica and enjoyed farming while writing and recording songs on his label, Solomonic.
″ I think I love the country a little more than the city, ″ Wailer told the Associated Press in 1989. ″ It has more to do with life, health and strength. The city takes that away sometimes. The country is good for meditation. It has fresh food and a fresh atmosphere – it keeps you alive. ″
A year earlier, in 1988, he had chartered a jet and flown to Jamaica with food to help people affected by Hurricane Gilbert.
″ Sometimes people pay less attention to these things (food), but they end up being the most important things. I’m a farmer, ”he told the AP.
He was the third and last original Wailer. Marley died in 1981 of a brain tumor at the age of 36 and Tosh was shot dead in Jamaica in 1987 at the age of 42.
