Dennis "The Crown Prince" Brown - Nuff Respect (1999)

Were it not for a fundamental flaw in his character, Dennis Brown, died at age 42, should have been crowned the undisputed king of reggae. After Bob Marley's death in 1981, fans were practically gagging to hand him the title. Even Marley himself had selected Brown as his successor, dubbing him the "crown prince" of reggae.

Managing to record over 70 albums and 300 singles over a 26 year career, he began his musical career at 9 years of age. A visit to Studio One at the age of 12 resulted in his first hits, the singles "No Man Is an Island". In a career that spanned 4 decades, Dennis worked with many of reggae's top names, beginning with Coxsone Dodd at Studio One, going on to work with Winston (Niney) Holness, Joe Gibbs, engineer Errol Thompson, Sly & Robbie, Gussie Clarke, Bunny Lee Delroy Wright, and many more.

Some of his major hits include "Whip them Jah Jah", "Revolution" and “Money in My Pocket” which hit the pop charts in England during the late 70’s. In 1994 he was nominated for a Grammy for the album “Light My Fire”.

According to the Jamaica Gleaner, Dennis Emmanuel Brown became ill while touring in Brazil in May 1999 smoking some of his last spliffs (or should I say crack-pipe?) with Gregory Isaacs and Max Romeo. He passed away soon thereafter in July of 1999. Though his initial cause of death was noted as respiratory failure, some reports state that Brown actually died of AIDS-related pneumonia. Around the industry, it was allegedly known that Brown had contracted AIDS and was a frequent crack-cocaine user.

In the days leading up to Dennis’ funeral, a reported 10,000 mourners (right) filed past the casket. Later, crowds watched a tribute at the National Arena, which included performances from Maxi Priest and Shaggy, as well as an appearance from his five (of thirteen) children.

Below is an 8 minute interview with him in 1982, as well as a video of a live performance of "Revolution"