Jamaican singer Millie Small, best known for the 1960s classic 'My Boy Lollipop', has died of a stroke at the age of 73.
Island Records founder Chris Blackwell first spotted Small's talent as a teenager and brought her to the UK, where she went on to record a version of her signature tune.
'My Boy Lollipop' reached a peak of number two in both the UK and US and has sold more than seven million copies worldwide to date.
Announcing her death in the Jamaica Observer, Blackwell paid tribute to a "really special" friend.
"I would say she's the person who took ska international because it was her first hit record," he said. "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."
Watch Small perform 'My Boy Lollipop' below:
