Iconic radio broadcaster Barrington ‘Barry G’ Gordon, the man who helped to kickstart King Yellowman and Beenie Man’s careers, died at the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital in Westmoreland on October 29. He was 70 years-old.

He reportedly died of pneumonia.

Dubbed the “King of Radio”, Barry G who is also known for his longstanding friendly musical clashes with his friend and fellow broadcaster David Rodigan of the UK, was the first radio broadcaster to leave the radio studios and play at parties and other events across Jamaica and the world. He was also a regular emcee at Reggae Sunsplash.

Barry G first became interested in radio broadcasting during his teenage years as a student at Kingston College. Upon graduation, he copped a job at the now defunct Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC) in 1975 as a producer after which he began doing vox pop features.

He was later given the evening programme, Turntable Time slot and eventually took on the coveted afternoon slot, rising to national fame in the 1980s with his show “Two to Six Super Mix”. The St, Mary native was also the last person to interview Bob Marley in 1981, in the Florida hospital where he died.

A household name, so popular was Barry G that in 1987, in what has been labelled one of the greatest radio-land coups, Radio Jamaica seduced lured him away from JBC. At Radio Jamaica, Barry G’s popularity grew exponentially and he secured the enviable status of having one million listeners.

So loved was Barry G by Dancehall artists that Rankin Toyon dedicated an entire Dancehall tune to the St. Mary native. Titled Spar With Me, the classic 1982 Dancehall track was laid on the Shenk I Sheck riddim and produced by Henry ‘Junjo’ Lawes, who was the top producer in those times. That song hailed Barry G for among other things, “chat pon radio station, fi suit everyone” and “playing Reggae music on the radio station”.

He is credited with making Yellowman becoming a superstar in Jamaica, after Yellowman won the Tastee Talent Show contest in 1982. At the same time he has been criticised for promoting “slackness” by virtue of his association with Yellowman, who has been blamed for bringing slackness to the surface and making it popular and accepted.

In a Gleaner interview back in 2004, Barry G had said that while he was influential in promoting dancehall in the 1980s, he had distanced himself when he saw it heading on a negative direction.

“I was blamed by critics for promoting this crudeness, but Yellow Man never fought on stage, nor carried a gun, he was a gentleman,” he had said.

Barry G, dubbed ‘The Boogie Man’, suffered a severe stroke in April 2007 and was hospitalised in Florida, United States.

According to the report, Barry G had been unable to walk upright, had been stuttering and had constant hiccups.

The stroke occurred while driving back and forth from Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, to Mandeville, Manchester.