Michael “Ibo” Cooper, keyboardist, co-founder of Third World and one of the most influential music educators Jamaica has produced, died at his home in St Andrew on the evening of Thursday, October 12, 2023. He was 71. Prime Minister Andrew Holness confirmed the death in a post that night, Global Voices reports.

Sources told the Jamaica Observer that Cooper had been battling cancer for several years. The loss lands on a family already in mourning: his wife Joy, his partner of more than 50 years, died just two weeks ago, and their son, producer Arif Cooper, died of a suspected heart attack in March at 49.

From Inner Circle to Third World

Born in Spaldings, Clarendon, on January 14, 1952, Cooper attended Jamaica College and the University of the West Indies and joined Inner Circle at 18. In 1973 he and guitarist and cellist Stephen “Cat” Coore left to form Third World, signing to Island Records and releasing a self-titled debut in 1976 that included a version of The Abyssinians’ “Satta Massagana.” The band played the Smile Jamaica concert that December and broke internationally with 96° in the Shade the following year; Stevie Wonder later wrote them “Try Jah Love.” Cooper stayed until 1997. Third World marks its 50th anniversary this year.

The nickname came from the news. “Because of the fighting in Nigeria,” he told Kwame Dawes in 2004. “I was skinny, and the Biafran War had pictures of starving children … It became a name because of the Ibos in Nigeria.”

Teacher and advocate

After leaving the band, Cooper turned to teaching, first part-time and then as head of what is now the Popular Music Studies department at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, shaping a generation of Jamaican players and singers. “This business of passing things on to others is something I have developed a passion for,” he said in that same 2004 interview. He also chaired the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association and sat on the Government’s Entertainment Advisory Board. He and Coore received the Order of Distinction in 2005, and the Institute of Jamaica awarded him a Silver Musgrave Medal in 2007.

“Ibo was a strong and constant voice for the music industry and an exemplary music teacher,” Culture Minister Olivia Grange said, sending condolences to his children Arianne, Akiri and Abean. “Generations of Jamaican musicians have been shaped by him, and our industry is better for having had him.”

Third World posted: “Walk Good Brother God Bless your eternal soul K. Michael ‘Ibo’ Cooper … Your music is the soundtrack of our lives.” Steel Pulse called him “one of the most talented keyboard players Jamaica has ever had.” Industry consultant Lloyd Stanbury went further: “In my opinion there is no other individual that has contributed more to the development of Jamaican music and the Jamaican music industry.”

The family said Cooper “was humble and gave generously to everyone he encountered,” adding: “Let us truly honour him by making the world better a place for all mankind and future generations because that was his mantra and he lived it to perfection.”

Listen and dig deeper

Sources: Jamaica Observer — “Ibo Cooper dead at 71” (Claude Mills, Oct 12, 2023); Global Voices — “‘Reggae Ambassador’ and founding member of legendary Jamaican band ‘Third World’, Michael ‘Ibo’ Cooper, passes away” (Emma Lewis, Oct 14, 2023).

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.