One of Jamaica’s and reggae music influential producer dead at 57 of an heart attack

One of Reggae music and Jamaica’s most influential music producers,Philip “Fatis” Burrell, died on December 3rd in Kingston, Jamaica at the age of 57. The producer, best known for his work with reggae stars Sanchez, Sizzla, Luciano, Pinchers, and Ini Kamoze suffered a fatal heart attack.

He was was a very influential figure in contemporary Jamaican music, working on dozens of records over the past two decades. He was well-known for his high moral standards, insisting that his artists offer socially responsible messages in their lyrics. In the late Eighties, he founded Xterminator Records, which got its name from the producer’s desire to eliminate “slackness” – Jamaican slang for sexually explicit lyrics – from the music.

He was also known for hiring musicians rather than relying too heavily on drum machines and computers, and he went out of his way to work with new talent instead of focusing on established acts.