More Sad News: Reggae and Ska Legend Desmond Dekker Dies

Yet another world music legend has passed this week. Reggae and ska legend Desmond Dekker died at his home in London on May 25 of a heart attack. He was 64 years old. Although many people credit Bob Marley with the international popularity of Jamaican music, Dekker was actually the first Jamaican artist to have an international hit record with his 1968 song "Israelites" (listen/download). He achieved fame once again when the "second wave" of ska (bands like The Beat and The Selector) and the "third wave" of ska (bands like Fishbone, Reel Big Fish and The Toasters) brought about interest in traditional Jamaican ska. He was still playing sold-out shows throughout the United States and the UK up until his death.

In happier news, Gwen Stefani (of ska-punk band No Doubt) gave birth to her first child on May 26, a baby boy she and her husband, rocker Gavin Rossdale, named Kingston James McGregor Rossdale. Knowing Stefani's affinity for Jamaican music, it can be assumed that she named her baby after the capital city of Jamaica, which also happened to be the birthplace of Desmond Dekker.