Cocoa Tea, the diminutive singer who helped define contemporary dancehall music, died in South Florida on Tuesday at age 65. The veteran artiste succumbed to a years-long fight with cancer.

Born Calvin Scott, Cocoa Tea was from the fishing village of Rocky Point in Clarendon. Initially, he trained to be a jockey, but in a 2012 interview with the Jamaica Observer, recalled recording his first song at age 13.

His breakthrough came in the early 1980s with Rocking Dolly, a song produced by Henry “Junjo” Lawes for the prolific Volcano label. Along with Yellowman and Barrington Levy, Cocoa Tea put that label on the map, releasing follow-up singles such as Lost My Sonia and Kingston Hot.

Later that decade, he established fruitful partnerships with producers Lloyd “King Jammy” James and Bobby “Bobby Digital” Dixon. His hit singles from that era include Young Lover, Tune In, Lonesome Side and Who She Love, a collaboration with Home T and Shabba Ranks.

British singer Joss Stone sampled Young Lover for her Harry’s Symphony, a song from her 2015 album, Water For Your Soul.

Fellow singer and close friend, Richie Stephens, paid tribute to Cocoa Tea.

“He was one of di artistes who came in di business an’ change things up. His style, his personality and charisma on stage was large…he wasn’t a simple man,” said Stephens. “He was very influential, people love him an’ he made a lot of hit songs, so yuh have to give him full credit. When music come up, yuh have to mention Cocoa Tea.”

Thirteen years ago, Cocoa Tea released the self-produced album, Wey Di Reggae Dey. He said it was inspired by a question he was asked frequently while touring.

“Dem sey, ‘how nuh reggae coming outa Jamaica?’, a jus’ pure dancehall,” Cocoa Tea told the Jamaica Observer. “Wi want to address dat.”

Although he was best known as a lovers rock singer, in 2008 he released Barack Obama, a salute to the popular United States senator who became that country’s first black president.