(Jamaica Star) Veteran reggae singer, and prolific songwriter, Keith ‘Bob Andy’ Anderson, has died. Glory Music principal, Tommy Cowan, confirmed to THE STAR, that Anderson, who had been ailing for some time, passed away at 8:30 this morning, while at home in Stony Hill, St Andrew.
“I have spoken to the family and they say he died peacefully. He was not in any pain,” Cowan shared. “His daughter, Bianca, was by his bedside, and so too was her mother.”
News broke on Wednesday that the entertainer, who has been battling cancer for some years, was gravely ill. When THE STAR spoke to Cowan that evening, he said that he was in the process of “sending Bob a message of encouragement”.
In the early 1970s, Bob Andy, whose career spanned several decades, recorded with Marcia Griffiths as the duo Bob and Marcia, initially for Studio One, but later under producer Harry J’s tutelage. They had a major UK hit with the song, Young, Gifted and Black, and went on tour in England together.
In October 2006, the Jamaican Government conferred on him the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander (CD) for his contributions to the development of Jamaican music.
Bob Andy was 76 years old.
