Bob Andy has died at his home in St. Andrew, Jamaica, at the age of 75 after a brief illness. Together with Marcia Griffiths, he formed Bob & Marcia, and they had a huge hit in 1970 with the Nina Simone song, "Young, Gifted and Black" which helped massively to popularise reggae in the UK and worldwide. They had another smash the following year with "Pied Piper" and, as a writer, Bob had further success with "Fire Burning" and "Check It Out". Suffering from health problems, he became less involved in the industry for a while, although he featured as the leading actor in "Children Of Babylon" (1978). He returned to the forefront of the music world in the 1990s and in 2006 he was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government for his contribution to the country's music. RIP.