The widow and children of Sugar Minott have decided to bury the hatchet as the family prepares to meet with the office of the administrator general to wrap up the Sugar Minott estate in July.

In 2023 there was a much-publicised altercation between the widow of Sugar Minott, Maxine Stowe, and some of his children over a trophy which had been awarded by the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) at its red carpet gala ceremony on April 10.

The late Sugar Minott was honoured with a mentorship award for his commitment to youth development.

Maxine Stowe, widow of late reggae/dancehall artiste, welcomed the rapprochement.

“Primarily, we buried the hatchet, as we saw there are no winners if there is a court-ordered sale of the estate that would be the eventual outcome. Under the glare and questioning of the judge’s review, the hatchet was shown to be not of our own making. There were some missteps by a lawyer who also withdrew from the case,” Stowe told the Jamaica Observer.

The last court date for the estate was May 16 and the final hearing is July 29.

Reports indicate that Stowe had been feuding with several of Minott’s children over matters concerning his estate and his life celebration event for years.

Sugar Minott married music executive Maxine Stowe, niece of Clement Coxsone Dodd in 1993, who at the time was working at Columbia Records. The couple had met at Coxsone’s Music City in Brooklyn, New York, in 1978, where they collaborated and produced the album
Roots Lovers. They remained married until his death.

“Our respective lawyers are now mediating the next steps to conclude the way forward with the Administrator General [Department] for the upcoming hearing,” Stowe said.

Daughter Pashon, too, welcomed an end to the hostilities.

“July 29 should be the final day; hopefully, everything goes according to plan. It’s been a struggle with the Administrator General [Department], they don’t know how to manage musicians’ estate and we’re ready to take it…” she said.

Pashon Minott, who was once Stowe’s most vocal critic, is ready to let peace reign.

“Maxine and I, and a few of my siblings, have been in dialogue. We want everything to be under one umbrella, and I know that once Maxine and I are in constant dialogue, and on great terms, things will move along well,” shared Pashon, whose mother had four children with the musical great.

Pashon painted a portrait of unity in the family that all went south when her father died.

“We never fight when he was alive, we’re finding our way back to the love we were raised on. This is a situation where we have more than one mother, with multiple children. We had a situation where all these siblings are coming in, my mother welcomed them as they came in, so we’re finding our way back to love… That is what Daddy is and was about,” she said.

Since Minott’s death intestate on July 10, 2010, there were competing claims, so the matter headed to the courts.

Singer, producer and sound-system operator Sugar Minott was known for his altruism and his relentless advocacy on behalf of under-served youth.

Many artistes benefited from his Youth Man Promotions and mentorship, among them Yami Bolo, Junior Reid, Tenor Saw, and Nitty Gritty.

The family planned an earthstrong celebration, the Sugar Minott Day celebration, to mark his 68th birthday yesterday, May 25, 2024

“We will be broadcasting live from daddy’s
IG page and people can come, and drink natural juice and eat ital food,” Pashon said of the event booked for 1 Robert Avenue.

Stowe, who has four children with Minott, was hopeful for a successful celebration.

“For Sugar’s 68th earthstrong, the universe is aligning positively towards the life and works of Sugar and myself, bringing our blended families in harmony and sync,” she said.

“It’s 50 years since he recorded what is acknowledged as the first dancehall song, Wrongdoers on the Love Me Girl/General rhythm at Studio One. He had his first child, Alton Minott, January 7, 1976, who predeceased him and the first dancehall album Live Loving was released 1977,” Stowe continued.

Minott is widely regarded as the “Godfather of Dancehall”. One of the most versatile and prolific singers to come out of Jamaica, with a career that spanned the roots, lovers’ rock, dancehall and reggae genres, he first broke through in the late 1970s with songs like Vanity and the powerful pro-ganja ode, Oh Mr DC for Studio One.

Stowe noted that the family is now working with only one goal in mind and that is to build on Minott’s brand. There are also plans to establish a Sugar Minott Museum.