Michael "Ibo" Cooper OD (14 January 1952 – 12 October 2023) was a Jamaican reggae musician and musical educator. He was member of the pop-band Inner Circle and founding member of the reggae band

Third World The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the Southern Cone, NATO, Western European countries and oth ...

. Third World was originally formed in 1973 by keyboardist Cooper and guitarist/cellist Steven "Cat" Coore. Both had received formal training at different music schools run by their aunt and mother respectively in Jamaica, and both had played around the Kingston reggae scene before joining the original lineup of Inner Circle around 1968, when they left to form their own band in 1973. They took Inner Circle's drummer Carl Barovier and lead singer Milton "Prilly" Hamilton. Colin Leslie was recruited from outside to be the bassist but was quickly replaced by Richard 'Richie' Daley. Barovier was replaced shortly after by Cornell Marshall. The group made its live debut that year at a stage show at the Carib Theatre during Jamaica's Independence Celebration. They played around the Kingston club scene and made a name for themselves as one of the few fully self-contained bands around. He also appeared with reggae artist

Burning Spear Winston Rodney Order of Distinction, OD (born 1 March 1945), better known by the stage name Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer-songwriter, vocalist, and musician. Burning Spear is a Rastafarian movement, Rastafarian and one of the ...

. In later years, he taught full-time as head of the Caribbean, Latin American and jazz department (Popular Music Studies) at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

. Cooper was appointed Officer of the Order of Distinction (OD) in 2005. Cooper died from cancer on 12 October 2023, at the age of 71.

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* 1952 births 2023 deaths Jamaican reggae musicians Jamaican music educators Musicians from Clarendon Parish, Jamaica Officers of the Order of Distinction Deaths from cancer in Jamaica {{Jamaica-musician-stub