John Holt – a towering figure in reggae and rocksteady – has died, aged 69

The singer passed away in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to Jamaican Observer. A cause of death is yet to be confirmed.

A successful child performer in Jamaica, Holt came to wider public attention in the 1960s as lead singer of wildly successful rocksteady outfit The Paragons, most notable for their oft-covered ‘The Tide Is High’. His yearning, stunningly evocative voice featured on a brace of solo singles in the early 1970s (including the peerless ‘Ali Baba’), and collaborators included Bunny Lee and Duke Reid.

After some attempts at crossover success abroad (see 1974 covers package 1000 Volts of Holt) and a string of MOR releases, he had a second career wind with 1983’s roots classic Police in Helicopter, and he continued recording studio albums into the late 1990s.