LEGENDARY reggae musician and Bob Marley and the Wailers’ bassist Aston Barrett has died aged 77.
Barrett’s family said the bass guitarist died after suffering a “long medical battle” but gave no details.
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Barret’s death was announced on social media by his son Aston Jr.
He said: “With the heaviest of hearts, we share the news of the passing of our beloved Aston ‘Familyman’ Barrett after a long medical battle.”
“This morning, the world lost not just an iconic musician and the backbone of the Wailers but a remarkable human being whose legacy is as immense as his talent.
“Our family is asking for privacy during this challenging time, as words cannot express our profound loss.”
Born in 1946, Barrett grew up in Kingston where he established the roots of reggae and dub music.
The legendary musician built his first bass guitar from scratch using plywood, a curtain rod and an old ashtray.
He joined Bob Marley in 1974, and went on to play in most of the Wailers albums, featuring in many of the band’s biggest hits including I Shot the Sheriff, Get Up Stand Up, Stir It Up, Jamming, No Woman, No Cry and Could You Be Loved.
Barrett became the frontman of Marley’s backing band – and remained a member for the rest of Marley’s life.
He was one of the few original living members of the group.
Dubbed the rhythmic ‘Architect of Reggae’, Barrett also worked on classic albums by the likes of Burning Spear, Peter Tosh and countless more.
In 2021, Jamaica awarded Barrett an Order of Distinction for his role as the musical “backbone” of the reggae genre.
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