News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Sept. 4, 2020: News that reggae legend Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert of Toots and the Matyals fame has been put in a medically-induced coma as he battles the deadly new coronavirus has sent fans on social media into a frenzy, sending up prayers and asking for prayers for the singer.

The Jamaica Gleaner yesterday reported that “Toots is fighting for his life and his family is asking for prayers.” The news comes after his family on Monday issued a statement that revealed that Hibbert was in an intensive care unit at a private facility in the Corporate Area of Kingston, Jamaica awaiting the results on his COVID-19 test.

His family had also asked everyone to hold him in their prayers.

The reggae legend’s illness comes on the heels of the release of ‘Got To Be Tough,’ the ska and rocksteady vocal group’s first album in a decade. Hibbert, 78, is the frontman of the group whose soulful vocal style has been compared to Otis Redding.

The group’s popular songs include “54-46 – That’s My Number,” “Monkey Man,” and “Do The Reggay.”