Ewart “U-Roy” Beckford, who transformed the Jamaican art of toasting, or deejaying, from a sound system phenomenon into a hit-making art form that deeply influenced generations of dancehall artists as well as the formation of early hip-hop, has died. U-Roy’s partner, Marcia Smikle, told the Jamaica Gleaner that he’d been unwell for some time; the news was also confirmed by Trojan Records. He was 78.

Respectfully referred to as The Teacher, The Originator or simply Daddy, U-Roy wasn’t the best-known name in Jamaican music among an international audience, yet exerted an incalculable influence on the development of reggae and dancehall and its offshoots, most notably hip-hop.

“This is a very sad day for Jamaica and for the dancehall genre, we lost a pioneer; he’s someone who every deejay should look up to – and I do,” Jamaican dancehall superstar Sean Paul tells NPR. “Hearing his name growing up, hearing his songs, he came with a different style; before U-Roy, no one was toasting on records and filling in the blanks.” Sean’s own vocal contributions to Sia’s 2016 No. 1 hit “Cheap Thrills” bears U-Roy’s influence, he says. “The little ad libs on that record, the budda-bang-bang, I learned that from him,” offers the platinum-selling and Grammy-winning artist. “He pioneered the way for someone like myself to do what I do.”