Singer Johnny Nash dead at 80, U.S. media report

[October 07, 2020]  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - American singer Johnny Nash, known for the 1970s reggae hit "I Can See Clearly Now," has died at the age of 80, his son told celebrity website TMZ and a Los Angeles TV station.

Nash died on Tuesday of natural causes, his son, John Nash III, told TMZ.

A representative for Nash, who largely dropped out of the spotlight in the late 1980s, could not be reached immediately for comment.

"He was a wonderful father and family man. He loved people and the world. He will be missed within his community. Family was his everything," Nash's son told TMZ.

His son told the CBSLA television station that Nash died at his home.

"I Can See Clearly Now," released in 1972, topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for four weeks, and became a hit in Canada, the UK and South Africa.

Nash was born in Houston and started his career in the late 1950s as a singer and actor. He moved to Jamaica in the mid-1960s where he was influenced by reggae music. Nash also scored hits with his version of Bob Marley's "Stir It Up" and "There are More Questions Than Answers."

His last studio album, "Here Again," was released in 1986.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Leslie Adler)

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