Peter Tosh, has died. The details of Wailer’s death have yet to be revealed but it has been reported that the singer and songwriter passed away in his native Jamaica.
Wailer was born Neville O’Riley Livingston on April 10, 1947, growing up in Nine Mile in St. Ann Parish where he befriended his future musical partner in Marley. The pair were bonded by the union of Livingston’s father and Marley’s mother, which produced a daughter, Pearl Livingston.
The musical journey for Wailer began in the 1960s after forming The Wailing Wailers band with his stepbrother in Marley and their friend Tosh. Junior Braithwaite and Beverley Kelso were also early members of the band. The band cut two albums Catch A Fire and Burnin’, after which Tosh and Wailer went on to begin their solo careers.
Reggae Legend Bunny Wailer dies, aged 73
(Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
The legendary reggae icon Bunny Wailer passed away, aged 73, at the Medical Assocciates Hospital in Kingston, according to reports from Jamaica.
Born in 1947, Bunny Wailer, whose real name is Neville O’Riley Livingston, was an original member of reggae group The Wailers along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh.
A three time Grammy Award winner, he is considered one of most iconic bearers of reggae music and a stalwart in the Jamaican music industry.
He received the Pinnacle Award from the Coalition To Preserve Reggae on November 2 at the Kumble Theater in Brooklyn, New York and in 2017, he was awarded the Order of Merit from the Jamaican Government.