Toots Hibbert Will Be Buried On November 8 In National Heroes’ Park

Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert, frontman of Toots and the Maytals, will be buried in National Heroes’ Park in downtown Kingston on Sunday, November 8. There will be viewings in Treadlight district in Clarendon as well as the National Arena in Kingston. 

“There will be tributes from several industry members both here and overseas for Toots Hibbert, as well as performances. There will also be viewings in Treadlight district in Clarendon and the National Arena in Kingston.” a source close to the family, said.

Hibbert had been slated to be interred at Dovecot Memorial Park & Crematorium in Spanish Town, St Catherine, after a thanksgiving service at the Perry’s Funeral Home in Spanish Town, on October 15. However, the family members were not able to find the burial order, a requirement for interment, and the body was returned to the funeral home.

Regarded as a pioneer, Toots, who died on September 11, at age 77, was credited for officially coining the word Reggae as his band Toots and the Maytals’ 1968 single Do the Reggay, was the first-ever to use the term, which officially gave the genre an identification.

The singer, who had the distinction of scoring 31 number-one singles in Jamaica, was named one of the 100 Greatest Singers of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2010.   He is responsible for penning some of the biggest hits in reggae history, including  Pressure Drop, Sweet And Dandy, 54-46 and  Beautiful Woman  as well as  Monkey Man , his group’s first international hit back in 1970.

Toots and his band were the first winners of Jamaica’s National Festival Song Competition in 1966.  He was the writer, arranger, composer, singer, and the producer of the winning song  Bam Bam , which has been sampled or fully covered by 79 solo artists and groups, including Kanye West, Lauryn Hill, and Jay Z.