A strong impact has generated for the Tosh family the death of the youngest son of "Bushdoctor" Peter Tosh, Champion Tosh, who clung to life after a fierce beating he received while in prison three years ago and left him in a coma for a year. He finally lost the battle and left for Zion.
jawara McIntosh, better known as Tosh 1, died on friday 17 of July, three years after the episode that left him in a coma suffering devastating brain damage, when in 2017 was beaten by an inmate while serving a six-month sentence in the Bergen County Jail, in New Jersey, for a charge of ganja. Later, Tosh's family filed a lawsuit against the institution for failing to protect and defend Tosh's human rights and dignity 1. The beating is presumed to have been racially motivated.
Father of 4 sons, to their 40 years he left the earthly plane where he followed in his father's footsteps, an artist who loved music and was also an activist for the legalization of marijuana.
After a year in a coma, in 2018 woke up and was transferred to his sister's house, Niambe Tosh, head and representative of Tosh State and the Peter Tosh Foundation, en Boston.
In an interview with the island newspaper Jamaica Observer in 2018, months after leaving the hospital, Niambe revealed that the family was grateful to have him alive, despite the long road to recovery that he would have to face. At that moment, Niambe noted that he was learning to speak again and the family was thankful that he was still alive., but added that full rehab was a long way off.
Last November and on the occasion of the annual celebration that is organized for the birth of Peter Tosh, and Kingston, Jamaica, Niambe addressed the audience mentioning that his brother was moving slowly and asked the audience to continue praying for him.
The Peter Tosh Museum Keeper, Kingsley Cooper, told the Jamaica Observer newspaper that the family was struggling to come to terms with Tosh's passing 1 and could not confirm how or where the burial will be.
“I spoke to Niambe when I heard of Jawara's passing and the family was experiencing a deep sense of loss.. I like to remember the positives and, if there can be a silver lining to a situation like this, it's the fact that the pain no longer exists. A vibrant young artist had been reduced to a semi comatose state, where he couldn't help himself “, Cooper told the local newspaper.
On Peter Tosh's official Instagram account, the family announced Tosh's passing 1, posting a beautiful commemoration showing Tosh 1 surrounded by pigeons with a microphone on their heads and the Rastafarian flag as a background, with a final message "Get up in the Force". further, on that same platform they announced a live broadcast for Friday on Facebook, where Niambe Tosh will pay tribute to his brother's legacy and will clear up the doubts of the press and the general audience.
Source: Jamaica Observer / RC team
