Aston “Family Man” Barrett, bassist of Bob Marley and the Wailers and one of the architects of the reggae bassline, died on Saturday, February 3, 2024. He was 77.

His son, Aston Barrett Jr, announced the death on Instagram. “With the heaviest of hearts, we share the news of the passing of our beloved Aston ‘Familyman’ Barrett after a long medical battle,” he wrote, as reported by the Jamaica Observer. “This morning, the world lost not just an iconic musician and the backbone of The Wailers but a remarkable human being whose legacy is as immense as his talent.” The family asked for privacy and did not disclose the cause of his illness.

The backbone

Born in Kingston in 1946, Barrett first made his name with his younger brother, drummer Carlton “Carly” Barrett, in the Upsetters, the house band of producer Lee “Scratch” Perry. The brothers then became the rhythm section of the Wailers, and Family Man played on nearly every album the band made. After Bob Marley’s death in 1981 he led the Wailers band on the road for decades, performing into the 2010s, the BBC notes.

His bass is the floor under “I Shot the Sheriff,” “Get Up, Stand Up,” “Stir It Up,” “Jamming,” “No Woman, No Cry” and “Could You Be Loved.” Beyond the Wailers he recorded with Burning Spear, Peter Tosh and Augustus Pablo, among many others.

“The drum, it is the heartbeat, and the bass, it is the backbone,” Barrett once said. “If the bass is not right, the music is gonna have a bad back, so it would be crippled.”

Honours

Bass Player magazine gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 and, in 2020, placed him first in its ranking of “20 legendary players who shaped the sound of electric bass,” according to his son’s post. In 2021 Jamaica conferred the Order of Distinction, Commander Class, on him in the National Honours and Awards.

The nickname came early and stuck. Barrett told the BBC in 2013 that he had fathered 41 children. “I am the family man,” he said.

His death comes eleven days before the worldwide release of Bob Marley: One Love, the Paramount biopic in which Aston Barrett Jr plays his father.

Listen and dig deeper

Sources: Jamaica Observer — “Renowned reggae bassist, Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett has died” (Feb 3, 2024); BBC News — “Reggae icon Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett, Bob Marley’s bassist, dies” (Feb 4, 2024).

Editor’s note: This story is part of an archive backfill covering Jamaican music news from 2022 to 2026. It is dated to the events it reports.