Legendary Jamaican producer Lee “Scratch” Perry, The Pioneer of reggae and dub music. has died at the age of 85.

No cause of death was given; Perry died in a hospital in Lucea, in the northwestern part of the country.

Born Rainford Hugh Perry in 1936, at the height of  he unrest against the British colonial government, Perry dropped out of school as a youngster,  but he will later Perry become a global icon for his knowledge about music.

He is remembered also as the producer who had a profound effect on Bob Marley’s sound and helped propel him on to the world stage. His Upsetter label produced some of the greatest reggae songs, including Small Axe and Duppy Conqueror by the Wailers.

Lee “Scratch” Perry – Panic in Babylon

Perry worked with Bob Marley and the Wailers, the Heptones, Junior Marvin, and many more, crafting some of their most well-known songs. But Perry fell out with nearly as many people as he promoted and made famous.

After he created a record label and formed a band called The Upsetters, he also wrote songs that dissed his old mentors, and those tunes became hits in Jamaica. In 2003, he won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album with the album titled “Jamaican E T.”

Lee Scratch Perry at work

During his memorable career Perry borrowed his talent to different genres like rock and rap collaborating with The Clash, Paul McCartney and the Beastie Boys, just to mention a few.

Loved all over the world for his eccentric and iconic style, as well as some controversy, even if he was old, he was in great health  and his death left his fans in a shock. It felt like he was not of this earth, and so he could be immortal.

The whole reggae dancehall community in Jamaica and around the world cries one of his most wild talents, a father, a founder, a pioneer.  News of his death took the industry by shock. He had so much projects still and was supposed to start touring again soon.

Perry was a big Gaza Fan and a Vybz Kartel’s estimator, he even sang Happy Bday wishes to the incarcerated Jamaican supertstar, that Perry considered the baddest deejay in Jamaica.