The Skatalites drummer Lloyd Knibb died on Thursday 12 May 2011 of liver cancer, aged 80. Starting out in the island's jazz bands, he became the drummer of Jamaica's most famous ska band in 1964, alongside Lloyd Brevett, Don Drummond, Roland Alphonso, Lester Sterling, Jackie Mittoo and Johnny Dizzy Moore. After the group broke up a little over a year later, he followed Tommy McCook into the Supersonics, Duke Reid's studio band (Treasure Isle).
In 1983, the Skatalites reformed for a performance at Reggae Sunsplash, and have since embarked on long world tours, on which Lloyd Knibb held down the rhythm until April 2011. Suffering from liver cancer, Lloyd Knibb had left the United States, where he had lived for a few years, to return to Jamaica to be with his family.
The Skatalites will perform in France in June and July 2011.