Photo: YouTube
Bunny Wailer (born Neville O’Riley Livingston) the last of the three original members from the Reggae super-group The Wailers, along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, passed away today at 73.
Wailer’s passing is now being mourned worldwide as people remember his important contributions to music.
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness, paid tribute to Wailer saying: “This is a great loss for Jamaica and for Reggae, undoubtedly Bunny Wailer will always be remembered for his sterling contribution to the music industry and Jamaica’s culture.”
Jamaican politician Peter Phillips, in a Facebook post said: “The passing of Bunny Wailer, the last of the original Wailers, brings to a close the most vibrant period of Jamaica’s musical experience. Bunny was a good, conscious Jamaican brethren.”
Along with his childhood friend, Bob Marley, and Peter Tosh, Wailer took the world by storm with the 1973 release of the acclaimed “Catch a Fire” album. Bunny Wailer was a founding member of The Wailers band before he and Peter Tosh departed to pursue their own solo careers after producer Chris Blackwell sought to remake the band with the focus being on Bob Marley.
Wailer was a childhood friend of Bob, and Bob’s mother reportedly lived for a time with Wailer’s father in Trench Town.
In a 2016 interview, with Afropop Wailer said, “The Wailers are responsible for the Wailers sound. Bob, Peter, and myself: We are totally responsible for the Wailers sound, and what the Wailers brought to the world, and left as a legacy.”
In 2017, Wailer was awarded with the Order of Merit (OM), Jamaica’s fourth-highest honor. The three-time Grammy award winner had suffered from health problems in recent years including a stroke in 2018.
