Jellybean Johnson, the original drummer for popular 1980s band The Time and also the producer for other iconic artists, has died at the age of 69.
TMZ reports that family members say Johnson, whose real name was Garry George Johnson, died suddenly Friday night. A cause of death has not been reported.
“With a heavy heart … my dear friend Jellybean passed away a couple of hours ago,” percussionist Sheila E wrote on Facebook. “We are devastated by this news. … He was a kind human being, extremely talented and funny. He had a great sense of humor and (was) an awesome guitar player.”
Parade reports Johnson moved to Minneapolis in his youth. He took drum lessons and learned guitar, enabling him to later begin working with Prince.
He was a member of The Time when the movie “Purple Rain” was released in 1984. The band portrayed Prince’s rivals in the film and had two hits from the movie, “Jungle Love” and “The Bird.”
He continued to work with Prince after The Time broke up, joining The Family. The group released only one album, which included the original version of “Nothing Compares 2 U.” The song, written by Prince, would become a huge hit for Sinead O’Connor when she covered it in 1990.
As a producer he worked with Janet Jackson on her No. 1 single “Black Cat,” Deadline reports.
“Minneapolis lost a legend,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey wrote on social media. “Jellybean Johnson wasn’t just a pioneer of the Minneapolis Sound — he was the sound. Every time we met, he carried that rare mix of talent, kindness, & unmistakable swagger. We’ll honor his music, impact, and reminder to always “put some jelly on it.”
Read the original article on cleveland.com.
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