In a statement to the Jamaica Observer, Cole’s son Wilburn “Squiddly” confirmed the news. He shared that the musician was admitted to the University Hospital of the West Indies two weeks prior to his passing on June 11. He had been “ailing for some time.”
Wilburn didn’t disclose the cause of death.
Born on June 26, 1942, Cole, whose real name is Wilburn, was nicknamed “Stranger” because he didn’t resemble any of his family members.
He entered the music scene in the early 1960s. He was initially a songwriter and wrote “In and Out the Window” for Eric “Monty” Morris.
Stranger made his recording debut in 1962 and quickly found success with his singles “Rough and Tough” and “When You Call My Name.” He was credited with creating the first reggae song, “Bangarang.”
His first album, Forward in the Land of Sunshine, was released in 1976. He released a dozen albums and countless songs during his music career. His last album, Storybook Revisited, was released in 2019.
During a 2013 interview, Stranger spoke about his long-running music career.
“Well it take on the love for the business,” he explained. “If you believe in yourself and think that something could happen for you one day and you keep on trying, then it could work. So that is what keep me around for that long time. I have faith and confidence in what I do.”
He also shared who his favorite producer has been. “I would say my favorite could be Duke Reid, because he is the one that I’ve started out working for. I made my first three number one hit recordings with Duke Reid. So I would say he is the favorite. I worked with like all the people in the early days, you named it and I worked with them. But I would say Duke Reid is my favorite. And in Jamaica, they would say “Him buss me out,” you know.”
Regarding his music career and its successes, Stranger added, “I feel very blessed. These people, they know a lot about the Jamaican history and the Jamaican music scene. And they choose me to do whatever they wanted to do. I’m so thankful that I could take that place and do it. Yes.”