Gregory Isaacs died on the morning of Monday, October 25, 2010, at his home in London, surrounded by his family, his manager Copeland Forbes confirmed to the BBC. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer a year earlier and, after travelling around Jamaica, had returned to London in the summer to spend time with his wife and children. British obituaries gave his age as 59, on a 1951 birth date; the New York Times and the Jamaica Observer said 60.
The tributes
David Katz, in the Guardian, called him “one of reggae music’s most popular singers,” a man who “excelled at songs of social protest” as well as the romantic ballads that made his name. The Independent called him “the natural heir to Bob Marley’s reggae crown” who “never quite managed to cross over.” The Los Angeles Times credited him with pioneering “the style of reggae music known as lovers rock.”
Two services, two countries
A thanksgiving service was held on Wednesday, November 10, at All Saints Anglican Church in Harrow Weald, north London, attended by Prime Minister Bruce Golding, Culture Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange and members of the Jamaican community, the Jamaica Information Service reported. The body arrived at Norman Manley International Airport on the evening of Thursday, November 11.
The Kingston farewell ran across three days, per the Gleaner’s published itinerary. On Thursday, November 18, Stur Gav sound with U-Roy, Josey Wales and Brigadier Jerry opened a tribute at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre, followed by a concert with Bunny Wailer, Shaggy, Freddie McGregor, Junior Reid, Leroy Sibbles, Tony Rebel, Queen Ifrica and Tarrus Riley, backed by Lloyd Parks & We the People and the Dean Fraser All-Star Band. On Friday the body lay in state at the National Indoor Sports Centre from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., then was driven through Fletcher’s Land, where he was born. “Tears flowed down cheeks of many who lined up to get a last glimpse,” the Gleaner reported.
‘A Red Rose for Gregory’
The funeral began at 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 20, at the National Indoor Sports Centre under the theme “A Red Rose for Gregory,” after his 1988 album. Mourners were asked to bring a red rose and wear black or white. An hour of music came first — Ken Boothe, Shaggy, Etana, Carlene Davis, Freddie McGregor, Judy Mowatt, the Tamlins and A.J. Brown among them, the Jamaica Observer reported (via Stabroek News). Producer Castro Brown delivered the remembrance; tributes were read by former finance minister Omar Davies, Junior Sinclair and Copeland Forbes; Olivia Grange read the eulogy. Gregory Isaacs was interred at Dovecot Memorial Park in St Catherine.
Afterward
The honours came late. On October 17, 2016, the Government conferred the Order of Distinction (Officer class) on him posthumously “for outstanding contribution to the Jamaican music industry locally and internationally,” the national honours list records; his widow, June Isaacs, accepted the insignia at King’s House, per the Gleaner. His brother and former manager Ruddy Isaacs told the paper: “Gregory been singing from 1968, so him deserve it. Him is the rightful king of lovers rock.”
Listen and dig deeper
- Read the archive’s 2013 retrospective, “Remembering the Cool Ruler: Gregory Isaacs”, and browse Gregory Isaacs in the JamaicansMusic library.
- The timeline from the start: African Museum (1974) → Front Line (1978) → ‘Night Nurse’ (1982) → ‘Rumours’ (1988) → ‘Brand New Me’ at the Grammys (2010).
Sources: BBC News — “Night Nurse singer Gregory Isaacs dies aged 59” (Oct 25, 2010); The Guardian — “Gregory Isaacs obituary” (David Katz, Oct 25, 2010); The New York Times — “Gregory Isaacs, Reggae Singer and Songwriter, Dies at 60” (Rob Kenner, Oct 25, 2010); The Independent — Gregory Isaacs obituary; Los Angeles Times — “Gregory Isaacs dies at 59” (Richard Cromelin, Oct 26, 2010); Jamaica Information Service — “Gregory Isaacs body home for November 20 burial”; Jamaica Gleaner — “Isaacs’ celebration itinerary” (Nov 18, 2010); Jamaica Gleaner — “‘Thank you, Gregory’: Fans say goodbye to ‘The Cool Ruler’” (Nov 20, 2010); Jamaica Observer via Stabroek News — “Cool Ruler given emotional send off” (Nov 21, 2010); JIS — National Honours and Awards 2016; Jamaica Gleaner — “Bunny Rugs song released ahead of OD award today” (Oct 17, 2016).
Editor’s note: This entry is part of the JamaicansMusic online museum — a career timeline assembled from the archive. It is dated to the events it documents; every claim is drawn from the linked sources.