Rocksteady and reggae icon has died.

The singer’s passing was confirmed earlier today – October 24th – via multiple sources. states that Derrick Harriott passed away peacefully at home – he was 87 years old.

Born in 1939 in Kingston, Derrick Harriott came of age through the first wave of Jamaican soundsystems. Initially a duo with Claude Sang Jr, the pair scored local hits, helping to merge jump blues with R&B and Jamaican influences to create an early form of ska.

Going solo in the early 60s, Derrick Harriott launched his own label – Crystal – and helped define a confident new sound for Jamaica as the island embraced independence.

A growing sense of Black consciousness entered his music as the decade continued, and Derrick Harriott leaned on his soul vocals for a string of rocksteady hits. Closing the decade by helping to define the emerging reggae sound, he was a club hero in the UK, where the skinhead phenomenon firmly embraced him.

Remaining a hugely popular concert draw throughout the decades, Derrick Harriott built links with second and third wave ska musicians in the United States, while remaining firmly rooted to Jamaica.