‘My Boy Lollipop’ hitmaker Millie Small died at the age of 73 following a stroke according to her friend.
The singer was born into a family of sugar plantation workers and first entered a singing contest at the age of 12 and won second place. Later on, the girl paired up with reggae singer Roy Panton to record ‘We’ll Meet.’
Small, a ska singer, was best known for her 1964 song ‘My Boy Lollipop’ which became an instant hit and sold more than 6 million records.
Paying their respects to the deceased singer were dozens of musicians, entertainment figures, and loyal fans who haven’t forgotten the classic song throughout the decades.
“I would say she’s the person who took ska international because it was her first hit record,” Chris Blackwell, the co-producer of My Boy Lollipop, said in an interview with Jamaica Observer.
“It became a hit pretty much everywhere in the world. I went with her around the world because each of the territories wanted her to turn up and do TV shows and such, and it was just incredible how she handled it.
“She was such a sweet person, really a sweet person. Very funny, great sense of humor. She was really special.”
Paying a tribute to the Jamaican ska singer and songwriter was also actor Vas Blackwood who suggested her track helped shape history.
“My Boy Lollipop 1964 lit the fuse for Jamaican SKA music, her track went global making history & developed the foundational structures of Jamaican Reggae music. Sleep with angels sister Millie X,” he wrote in a tweet.
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Replaced!