Jellybean Johnson, the Minneapolis music icon and founding member of Prince’s band The Time, has died at age 69. Loved ones say Johnson, whose real name was Garry George Johnson, passed suddenly on the evening of Friday, Nov. 21—just two days after celebrating his birthday.
“The family of Jellybean Johnson is deeply saddened by the passing of their beloved husband and father,” his family said in a statement. “Jellybean was an innovator of what became known across the world as the Minneapolis Sound. Jellybean loved his family, his friends, and the city of Minneapolis.”