How Dennis Brown’s Mentor Died After Singing Just 2 Songs, Turning Off the Microphone and Collapsing

Before Dennis Brown was crowned the Prince of Reggae, there was another voice he quietly copied—a voice that shaped his earliest sound almost note for note. That voice belonged to Roman Stewart — born just months after Dennis Brown, a childhood peer of Freddie McGregor, and a street-corner prodigy whose vocals are so similar they’re often mistaken for Dennis himself. On January 24, 2004, after attending a Freddie McGregor concert, Roman sang only two songs at a birthday party. As he prepared for a third, he turned off the microphone, clutched his chest, collapsed, and later slipped into a coma. He died the next day at just 46. More than 20 years later, lost recordings from Channel One Studio, produced by Linval Thompson with the Roots Radics Band, have resurfaced—bringing Roman’s voice back to life. This is the untold story of the man who helped shape Dennis Brown… and whose final song was never sung. Watch till the end—his legacy is deeper than most people realize.

Added 24 Jul 2026