Reggae icon, Michael ‘Ibo’ Cooper, a member of the legendary band Third World, has died. He was 71-years-old.
Sources have confirmed Mr Coopers passing with Nationwide Online.
Cooper was born in Clarendon, Jamaica on January 14, 1952. He took his first steps in music with the influential reggae band, Inner Circle.
In a 2004 interview with BOMB Magazine, Cooper said he left Inner Circle, a popular pop band at the time, to cofound Third World in 1973.
Cooper explained that Third World arose out of an yearning to go against the popular currents of the time and to write music with a message.
Cooper was as a keyboardist, songwriter and vocalist for Third World. He left the band in 1997 to became a teacher.
Music ran in the blood, with his late son Arif Cooper, becoming a prominent disc jockey and music producer. Arif died on March 5 this year, shortly after collapsing while playing at a show in St. Andrew.
Michael’s wife, Joy also died recently. Mrs Cooper passed on September 29.
