Iconic singer Johnny Nash, the pop and reggae singer whose “I Can See Clearly Now” topped the charts in the U.S. and UK in 1972 is dead. He died on Tuesday at age 80.
His son, Johnny Nash Jr., confirmed the death to the Associated Press. He said his father died of natural causes, at home in Houston.
Although he might be thought of as a one-hit-wonder by many, Nash’s website refers to “I Can See Clearly Now” as the singer’s “comeback hit,”, since the then-32-year-old had been recording, and occasionally charting, since the late 1950s, starting when he was 17.
Born in Houston, Texas, John Lester Nash, Jr. grew up singing in church. He happened upon the style that would provide his greatest success when he travelled to Jamaica in 1968, where he met Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Livingston. He financed their recordings for his own label, JAD, without success. However, his move into the genre himself with “I Can See Clearly Now” which he wrote and produced himself was a huge success, going gold and providing him with a four-week run at No. 1 in the States.
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“I Can See Clearly Now” became a hit again in 1993. That year, Jimmy Cliff recorded it for the soundtrack of “Cool Runnings”; it reached No. 18 and was the musician’s highest-charting U.S. song.
Others who’ve covered the record include Ray Charles, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Grace VanderWaal, Hothouse Flowers, and the punk band, Screeching Weasel. His last studio album, “Here Again,” was released in 1986. Besides his son, Johnny Nash is survived by his daughter, Monica, and wife, Carli Nash.
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