Franklin Thompson, a member of roots-reggae group Wadada, died on August 15 at his home in Woodford Park, St Andrew.

He was 72.

Denzil Williams, his colleague in the trio, told the Jamaica Observer that Thompson suffered respiratory problems in recent years and was hospitalised early this year for treatment.

He described his friend of over 50 years as “a simple person, a good man who live a simple life”.

They started Wadada in 1978 with Kenneth Roxborough. That line-up performed at the second Reggae Sunsplash in 1979 and released one album, Take A Stand.

Wadada recorded a number of singles for producers, including Earl “Chinna” Smith, Freddie McGregor, and Bunny Wailer.

Thompson and Williams also toured as harmony singers with the Marley family, performing at the Africa Unite show in Ethiopia in 2006. They provided backing vocals on Stephen Marley’s Grammy-winning Mind Control studio and acoustic albums.

Williams and Thompson first met in Trench Town in the early 1970s when they were aspiring artistes and students of Rastafari.

Thompson started his music career as part of a harmony trio whose lead singer was Horace Andy. Most of his songs were done with Wadada, the most recent being
Certain Things, a collaboration with Big Youth released in 2020.

— Howard Campbell