Was Jellybean Johnson married? All we know about partner Marty Bragg as Minneapolis music legend passes away

59th GRAMMY Awards -  Show - Source: Getty
(L-R) Recording artists Morris Day, Jellybean Johnson, and Jerome Benton of music group The Time perform onstage during The 59th GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center on February 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. - Source: Getty

Jellybean Johnson, who was the drummer of the famed funk-rock band The Time, has passed away. According to Deadline, Johnson, who was not married but was in a long-term relationship with Marty Bragg, died on Friday, November 21, but the cause of his death has not been revealed.

Fellow drummer Sheila E. announced the news of his passing on Facebook, writing:

"With a heavy heart, my dear friend Jellybean passed away a couple of hours ago. We are devastated by this news. I’m praying for his family and all the kids. He was a kind human being, extremely talented and funny. He had a great sense of humor and [was] an awesome guitar player. Yesterday was your birthday, I forgot to call you and I’m so sorry. I loveu Bean. Rest in peace and power."

Jellybean Johnson, whose real name was Garry George Johnson, was born on November 19, 1956, in Chicago. After learning how to play the guitar, Johnson shot to fame when he was recruited by Prince in 1981 to play for the band The Time.

According to Billboard, he went on the appear in the 1984 film Purple Rain, where he played a fictionalized version of himself. Johnson, who received the Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award, performed with Rihanna at the 2008 Grammy Awards and, most recently, was seen performing at the ceremony in 2017 and 2020 during a tribute to Prince.


More about Jellybean Johnson's partner, Marty Bragg, as the legendary drummer passes away

Jellybean Johnson was in a long-term relationship with Marty Bragg, with whom he had been together since the late 1990s. The famed musician kept his private life away from the spotlight, so not much is known about his relationships. According to her Facebook profile, Marty Bragg, whose birth name is Martha, is an entrepreneur born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Following high school, Bragg attended Minnesota State University, Mankato, graduating in 1986. She later attended the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, graduating in 1993. In 2021, she and Jellybean Johnson founded the Minneapolis Sound Museum, dedicated to renowned musicians from the city.

In a 2024 interview with Voyage Minnesota, the couple explained the reason behind founding the museum and said:

"The death of Prince did one positive thing. It reunited most of the people he had worked with over his life and solidified that this music was seeded in North Minneapolis and that many played a role in what would become the Minneapolis Sound. We knew we needed a place to tell that story. The Minneapolis Sound Museum was born."

Marty Bragg previously acted as Johnson's manager and currently lives in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, working at the Brooklyn Center Community School, a position she has held since 2019. It is not known if she and Jellybean Johnson shared any children of their own, but according to reports, Bragg was previously married to musician Antonio Bragg. She and Jellybean Johnson raised her son, Regal, whom she shared with former husband Antonio Bragg. Regal, who was a musician in his own right, passed away in 2021 at the age of 29. The exact cause of his passing has not been revealed.

Johnson, who was 69 years old at the time of his passing, is now survived by his partner Marty Bragg and several children from his previous relationships.


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Edited by Amey Mirashi