Toots Hibbert’s Family Still Trying To Come To Terms With His Passing
The 11th of September 2020 will forever be a sad day in the memory of Toots Hibbert’s fans around the world but even more so in the minds of his loving family.
The legendary Reggae icon passed away at the age of 77 on the 11th of September last year at the University of The West Indies Hospital, in Kingston.
Hibbert was admitted to the hospital on the 31st of August after experiencing breathing complications. Eventually, he was placed in a medically induced coma for a week until he passed away on the 11th of September.
“Since Toots passed away, life has not been the same for myself and the rest of the family. The house seems so empty without him. Oh, how I long to hear him singing and playing his guitar, filling the house with beautiful melodies and joy. I miss his sweet smile and his warm embrace. I also miss cooking for my husband,” said his loving wife, Mrs Doreen Hibbert.
She continued, “Toots and I were together for, 57 beautiful years, and we were married for 39 of those years. It’s hard to go on all on your own when you’ve lost someone with whom you’ve spent a lifetime. I don’t even know how I manage to carry on without him. I miss him so much.”
His daughter Leba Hibbert, the Vice President of the Toots Hibbert foundation, says the whole family is still trying to come to terms with her father’s passing.
“My dad’s death is a huge blow for the entire family and all his relatives and his friends. It has been not easy for any of us; I think we’re all still trying to come to terms with it. We all loved him, and him not being physically present is very hard for us to deal with. I don’t know how we’ll ever get over, losing him,” she said.
Leba also disclosed that the family has big plans in store to keep her famous father’s legacy alive.
“As I’ve mentioned before, we are putting plans in place to ensure that my fathers legacy will stay alive. My dad was one of the most loved Reggae artistes, and I know his millions of fans worldwide would like to hear what’s in store, so we’ll be making an official announcement soon.”
Frederick “Toots” Hibbert was the legendary frontman for Toots & the Maytals. He had been touring since the 1970s. His landmark album Funky Kingston is rated one as of the greatest albums of all time.
Toots & the Maytals have won the Grammy Awards for Best Reggae Album twice. They won it in 2005 with an album titled True Love and in 2021 with Go To Be Tough.