After an official band statement shared news of Frederick “Toots” Hibbert making positive progress in an intensive care unit on Aug. 31, Jamaica Star reported yesterday that the 78-year-old reggae legend was placed in a medically induced coma. Upon displaying symptoms of COVID-19, Toots was hospitalized and had been tested, but his results were not made public.
“Toots is fighting for his life and his family is asking for prayers,” Toots’ publicist Claude Mills told Jamaica Star yesterday.
Another official band statement was released yesterday, saying Toots is “in a stable condition and is receiving around the clock treatment to ensure his body can recover.” It is unclear whether he was placed into a medically induced coma before or after this second statement was released.
Toots had just recently released his new album Got To Be Tough, the first from Toots and the Maytals in a decade. Paste praised the album for Toots’ “warm, stony voice that has resonated for decades and continues to do so.”
