Veteran reggae singer Denroy Morgan, father of the reggae band Morgan Heritage, has died at the age of 76 after a prolonged battle with cancer.
Morgan passed away last night at his home in Atlanta in the company of his children and extended family. His death was confirmed in a statement by his family.
“It is out of sincere love that we share that our beloved father and patriarch, The Honorable Bishop Ras Denroy Morgan, has ascended. Daddy has been our light, our source of love and joy all our lives.”
“Our family thanks you in advance for your overwhelming love and support, and we ask for your continued prayers as we go through this process. We also ask that you please respect our privacy during this time of healing. Thank You!” the statement read.
Morgan fathered 30 children, 15 with his wife, Hyacinth. The children formed several groups, including The Dreads, LMS, and the Grammy-winning internationally acclaimed roots and culture band, Morgan Heritage. Morgan died, leaving 104 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
Born in Clarendon, Jamaica, in 1946, Morgan left Jamaica in 1965 at the age of 19 for the United States to become a musician.
He was part of the formation of the Black Eagles, a New York City reggae band in the 1970s, before launching a prosperous solo career in the 1980s onwards.
Morgan found success in the US in 1981 with the release of his I’ll Do Anything for You album when the title track became a big R&B and dance hit.
However, in the realm of reggae, Morgan’s peak period was when he signed in 1984 with RCA Records. That deal led to the release of the reggae album Make My Day and marked him as the first reggae artist to be signed to RCA Records.
In March 2014, he announced he was working on a new album, Half N Half, featuring cover versions of Bob Marley songs and excerpts from speeches by Haile Selassie and working on an updated version of his memoirs.
His children were all involved in music growing up and have since formed two separate bands, and one is a successful solo act.
The reggae band Morgan Heritage is comprised of his children Peter “Peetah” Morgan, Una Morgan, Roy “Gramps” Morgan, Nakhamyah “Lukes” Morgan, and Memmalatel “Mr. Mojo” Morgan.
The dancehall/hip hop band LMS comprises his children, the trio Noshayah Morgan, Otiyah “Laza” Morgan, and Miriam Morgan.
Otiyah Morgan, known as Laza Morgan, is also a solo act with singles like “This Girl” and “One by One,” featuring dancehall artist Mavado.
Morgan was a songwriter, producer, a member of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and an ambassador for the Ethiopian Orthodox Coptic Church of North and South America.
