Jellybean Johnson, the drummer with Prince protégés The Time and a celebrated producer, has died at the age of 69.
The news was confirmed by Johnson’s family in a statement to TMZ today (November 22), who said he died suddenly on Friday night, although no cause of death has been identified.
The musician – real name Garry George Johnson – was best known for his tenure playing in The Time, the funk rock group formed by Prince in 1981 as part of the music legend’s contractual deal to cultivate and produce other artists from Minneapolis.
He was instrumental to the band’s first three studio albums, ‘The Time’ (1980), ‘What Time Is It?’ (1982) and ‘Ice Cream Castle’ (1984), before choosing to leave the group in 1985.
As well as his work with The Time’s celebrated production duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Johnson went on to have success as a producer in his own right, helming singles by the likes of Alexander O’Neal, New Edition and Cherrelle. He also produced Janet Jackson’s ‘Black Cat’, which was a Number One single in 1990.
Johnson rejoined The Time for the Prince film Graffiti Bridge in the same year and played on the accompanying album ‘Pandemonium’, while in later life he notably performed alongside Rihanna at the Grammy Awards in 2008.
Although he was born in Chicago, his family relocated to Minneapolis when he was a child and the city remained close to him throughout his life. He led the Jellybean Johnson Experience, which supported grassroots musicians in the city, and he founded the Minneapolis Sound Museum in 2022, which was intended to “educate, celebrate and create, while also providing an environment to learn, gather and showcase artistry that preserves and fosters the Minneapolis Sound genre”.
Among those to have paid tribute to Johnson is fellow funk percussionist Sheila E., who wrote on Facebook: ““We are devastated by this news. I’m praying for his family and all the kids. He was a kind human being, extremely talented and funny. He had a great sense of humor and [was] an awesome guitar player. Yesterday was your birthday, I forgot to call you and I’m so sorry. I love u Bean. Rest in peace and power.”