Jamaican Music Legend Millie Small Has Died

Her song 'My Boy Lolliepop' became a global hit...

Jamaican music legend *Millie Small* has died.

The singer struck gold as a teen, with her 1964 song 'My Boy Lollipop' becoming an international hit.

Selling more than seven million copies, she became one of the first globally recognised stars to emerge from Jamaica.

The single also helped spur on Chris Blackwell's burgeoning Island Records imprint - he took the singer to London for the session, and its success helped build what would become a major label operation.

As a piece of music, 'My Boy Lollipop' is almost so well known that it's difficult to regard it as revolutionary - yet that's exactly what it was, with Millie bringing ska to the mainstream.

Released a mere two years after Jamaican independence, the sound of her innocent vocal helped bolster the country's confidence, and began a tradition of musical export that is still influencing music on every single continent.

Chris Blackwell broke the news, with Millie seemingly passing away after suffering a stroke at the age of 73. Speaking to the *Jamaica Observer*, he recalled her being "a sweet person... really special". 

"I would say she's the person who took ska international because it was her first hit record," he explained. "It became a hit pretty much everywhere in the world. I went with her around the world because each of the territories wanted her to turn up and do TV shows and such, and it was just incredible how she handled it."

The label boss said: "She was such a sweet person, really a sweet person. Very funny, great sense of humour. She was really special".

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