The former member of The Wailers has passed away at the age of 73 in a hospital in Kingston, Jamaica following deteriorating health after he suffered a second stroke.
- March 3, 2021
AceShowbiz - Reggae legend Bunny Wailer has died at the age of 73.
The musician passed away at a hospital in Kingston, Jamaica on Tuesday (02Mar21), his manager, Maxine Stowe, confirmed to the Jamaica Observer. A cause of death has yet to be released, but Wailer had been battling ill health since last July (20) when he suffered his second stroke.
He had previously struggled with speech issues following his first minor stroke in 2018.
Born Neville O'Riley Livingstone, Wailer is most famous for his work as an original member of The Wailers, alongside his childhood pal Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, in the early 1960s.
He sang on tracks like "Reincarnated Souls", "Burnin' ", "Pass it On", and "Hallelujah Time", but left the group in 1973, following the success of the band's major-label debut "Catch a Fire", and pursued his solo ambitions.
Bunny's singles included "Dreamland", "Dancing Shoes", "Searching for Love", "Life Line", "Bide Up", and "Arab Oil Weapon" while he also reworked a string of The Wailers' hits for his 1980 project "Bunny Wailer Sings the Wailers", backed by Jamaican musicians Sly and Robbie.
He won three Grammy Awards for Best Reggae Album during his lengthy career - for 1991's "Time Will Tell: A Tribute to Bob Marley", "Crucial! Roots Classics" in 1995, and 1997's "Hall of Fame: A Tribute to Bob Marley's 50th Anniversary".
Bunny was considered a national treasure in his native Jamaica and was awarded the Order of Jamaica in 2012 and the Order of Merit in 2017.
