Keith “Ginger” Knight, one of the driving forces behind the roots theatre movement, died on February 23 at age 71.

Hyacinth Knight, his wife of 31 years, said he died at the Kingston Public Hospital.

She told the Jamaica Observer that the Kingston-born Knight, a former insurance salesman at Mutual Life, suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for the past two years.

In a 2012 interview with the Observer, Knight said he developed interest in theatre during the 1960s while a student at Kingston College, where his drama teacher was actor/playwright Trevor Rhone.

After leaving high school, Knight became a protege of Rhone’s, appearing as an actor in his plays at the Barn Theatre in Kingston.

His first play as a writer/producer was Undercover Underwriter in 1979.

That was one of the productions that signalled the birth of roots theatre, slapstick productions defined by Knight, producer Ralph Holness, and fellow writer Balfour Anderson.

Knight wrote and produced nearly 20 plays. One of them, Room For Rent, was made into a movie in 2007.

He also wrote the book, Jamaica, Land of Wood, Water And Olympic Sprinters, released in 2015 and is the holder of three Actor Boy awards.

Keith “Ginger” Knight is survived by his wife, four sons, two grandchildren, and one sister.

The thanksgiving service for his life is scheduled for Christ Church (Anglican) in Vineyard Town, Thursday, March 16, starting at 10:00 am.