Frederick “Toots” Hibbert, lead singer and songwriter for Toots and the Maytals and one of the key figures in reggae, died on Friday in Kingston, Jamaica. He was 77 years old.

His death was announced on the band’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. “It is with a heavy heart to announce that Frederick Nathaniel ‘Toots’ Hibbert passed away peacefully tonight, surrounded by his family at the West India University Hospital in Kingston, Jamaica,” the statement said.

The cause of death was not revealed, but his Facebook account confirmed on August 31 that Hibbert had been tested for coronavirus in the past two weeks and placed in the ICU.

Hibbert’s thrilling and thrilling performances have touched live music lovers for more than 50 years and have brought a distinctive expression from Jamaica to the international audience. His 1968 song “Do The Reggay” gave Jamaica’s signature beat a name, but his art defied limits. His vocals are an amalgamation of vibrant gospel, vintage soul, bold R&B and classic country fused with docile Jamaican rhythms. Hibbert brought a dazzling cadence from the island to the standard of Otis Redding “(I’ve Got) Dreams to Remember”, he turned “I Can’t Stand The Rain” by Ann Peebles into a sizzling serenade and forever changed “Country Roads “by John Denver in a beloved reggae hymn to sing along.

Considered a national treasure in Jamaica, in 2012 it was awarded the Order of Jamaica, the fifth largest tribute in the country.