ONE OF Jamaica’s most beloved singers, Dobby Dobson, has died at the age of 78.

Dobson passed away at 4:30pm on Tuesday (July 21) at a hospital in Florida.

Tommy Cowan of Glory Music reported that Dobson had COVID-19.

“I was told a couple days ago that he was in a bad way. He had Alzheimer’s for a while now and was in a home, then he was diagnosed with COVID.” it was reported on the Geaner website.

Highland ‘Dobby’ Dobson was nicknamed ‘Loving Pauper’ after one of his better-known songs.

Dobson started singing in the early 1950s and recorded hit songs such as That Wonderful Sound and Mexican Divorce.

He had stints with legendary producers Coxsone Dodd and Duke Reid, recording as a member of both The Virtues and The Sheiks.

His signature song, Loving Pauper was done for Reid.

Dobson, despite making a name for himself in the music business, kept his day job as a salesman and proofreader for The Gleaner.

The singer’s big break came in 1971, when he recorded That Wonderful Sound for Rupie Edwards.

It sold over 40,000 copies in the Caribbean and was followed up by Endlessly, which created waves in the UK.

In 1979, Dobson migrated to the United States.

In August 2011, he was conferred with the Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer (OD) for his contribution to reggae music and Jamaican culture.