Millie Small, R.I.P.

Singer Millie Small, best known for her 1964 cover of "My Boy Lollipop" which topped the pop charts the world over, passed away yesterday due to a stroke. Some accounts say Small was 72 while others say she was 73.

Although the Jamaican born Small was a one hit wonder, it was her hit that introduced reggae and ska music to the world. Indeed, "My Boy Lollipop" was the first hit for the fledgling Island Records, a label which later produced the likes of Cat Stevens, Nick Drake, John Martyn, Steve Winwood and, of course, Bob Marley.

There was a period of Small's life where she was destitute and living in a shelter. But you would never know it with her positive disposition and sweet soul as demonstrated in this 1987 interview with her young daughter Jaelee in tow.

However, at some point, Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, grateful to Small for getting his label off the island bought her a house in the U.K. and saw to it she received performers' fees on "My Boy Lollipop." Indeed, it was Blackwell who broke the news of Small's passing. Here is Small lip-syncing her signature song during a 1973 appearance on the U.K. show Top of the Pops. R.I.P.