The Jamaican musician Aston „Family Man“ Barrett of Bob Marley and the Wailers leaves behind at least 41 children. He was 77 years old.
Aston Barrett, bassist for Bob Marley and the Wailers, died on Saturday at 77 years old. Barrett’s death was shared by Jamaica’s minister of culture on X (formerly Twitter) in a series of tweets. Olivia Grange began, “I share with you my deep regret at the passing of Aston Francis Barrett, CD, popularly known as ‘Family Man’ or ‘Fams.’”
“As a bass player, keyboardist and guitarist, he was one of the two famed Barrett brothers, Aston and Carlton, who were part of Bob Marley and the Wailers,” Grange continued, “and Lee Scratch Perry and the Upsetters in the early years of Reggae Music.
“He died at the University of Miami Hospital in Florida in the United States early this morning. This pioneer of Jamaican music was also a mentor to many Jamaican artistes and musicians including the ‘Riddim Twins,’ Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare.
“As we commemorate Reggae Month 2024, I wish to express my sincere condolences to his wife, his children, his relatives and to members of the local and international Reggae Music fraternity. May the Angels welcome home Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett to Mount Zion.”
Barrett was born on Nov. 22, 1946, in Kingston, Jamaica. He built his first guitar on his own out of plywood and a curtain rod, working as a bike mechanic before he made it as a musician.
