KINGSTON, Jamaica— Robert “Bobby Digital” Dixon, one of dancehall/reggae’s most successful music producers, died here Thursday at age 59.

His son, Sheldon “Calibud” Stewart, told the OBSERVER ONLINE that he succumbed to a kidney-related illness.

Originally from Olympic Gardens in Kingston, Dixon was a protege of engineer/producer Lloyd “King Jammy” James with whom he started his career as an audio engineer. 

Dixon produced a number of hit songs by Shabba Ranks starting in the late 1980s with Peenie Peenie. Their formidable partnership also yielded massive hits such as Just Reality, Live Blanket and Wicked In A Bed.

 Other hit songs produced by Dixon were Till I’m Laid to Rest by Buju Banton, Cocoa Tea and Admiral Tibet’s Serious Times, Garnet Silk’s It’s Growing and Sizzla’s Black Woman and Child.

He also produced Don’t Haffi Dread, the breakthrough song and album by Morgan Heritage.

Robert “Bobby Digital” Dixon is survived by his wife Merva, three children, two grandchildren, a sister and two brothers.

Howard Campbell