He eventually moved to Kingston in his early teens and studied at Dinthill Technical college prior to working as a government accountant, although it was his abiding love for music which provided the overwhelming stimulus throughout his life. With three brothers and three sisters he was one of the seven children of a humble farmer. Thomas, in the east end of the island of Jamaica.

I Roy was born Roy Samuel Reid on 28th June 1942 out in the countryside in the parish of St. What a tragic end for such a wonderful man and great Reggae artist. Roy didn't even have a home any more - he was living on the street at the time he died. Sadder still, Mafia reported that one of I Roy's sons was killed in prison two weeks ago and after that 'he just seemed to lose it'. Leroy Mafia - of UK's renown Mafia & Fluxy - was in Jamaica shortly before I Roy's death and was working on setting up a fund raising UK show for him and getting him some medical treatment at the same time. He had been dogged by ill health for the last few years, and all the doctors he had seen weren't able to tell him exactly what the problem was, but it seems to have had something to do with swelling around the heart. As if the last year before we enter the next millennium didn't deliver enough moments of sadness to Reggae music in general and its devoted fans in particular, the last week of November 1999 brought more sorrow as the Reggae massive was informed that I Roy has died in Kingston on Saturday 27th November.

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