Dennis Emmanuel Brown (February 1, 1957 – July 1, 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, he had recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the pioneers of lovers rock, a sub-genre of reggae. Legendary singer Bob Marley cited Brown as his favorite singer,[1] and dubbed him "The Crown Prince of Reggae".
His first commercially successful song internationally was "Money In My Pocket" on the Joe Gibbs label, and by the late 1970s, Brown had recorded and performed chart-toppers such as "Sitting & Watching", "Wolves and Leopards", "Here I Come" and "Revolution"; many featuring Sly and Robbie as the rhythm section. As the dancehall era of the 1980s arrived, Brown frequently recorded with King Jammy and Gussie Clarke. His song "Revolution" is featured on the reggae radio station K-JAH Radio West in the 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. Trojan Records included Brown on their 'Jamaican Superstars' compilation (along with Gregory Isaacs, Delroy Wilson, Alton Ellis, John Holt and Pat Kelly), calling him the "perfect superstar". The compilation was released in 1998, In May 1999, after touring in Brazil with other reggae singers, Brown started to show symptoms of illness. After returning to Kingston, Jamaica, on the evening of June 30, 1999, he was rushed to Kingston's University Hospital, suffering from cardiac arrest. Brown died the next day, and the official cause of his death was a collapsed lung.Former Jamaican Prime Minister P. J. Patterson and opposition leader Edward Seaga of the Jamaica Labour Party both spoke at Brown's funeral, which was held on July 17, 1999 in Kingston. The service, which lasted for three hours, also featured live performances by Maxi Priest, Shaggy, and five of Brown's sons. Brown was then buried at Kingston's National Heroes Park. According to some sources, Brown became addicted to crack cocaine, which affected his career and may have led to his premature death.