Who was Jellybean Johnson? All about The Time drummer who died at 69

The drummer of The Time, Jellybean Johnson, has died at the age of 69.

Jellybean Johnson, whose real name was Garry George Johnson, suddenly passed away on Friday, as was informed to TMZ by his family. The exact cause of his death is still not disclosed.

Multi-instrumentalist Sheila E. mourned the drummer's death, expressing,

“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 love u Bean. Rest in peace and power.”

Johnson was affiliated with artists such as Prince and Janet Jackson. Susannah Melvoin, who was part of the band formed by Prince, The Family, along with Jellybean, also shared her condolences.

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“RIP Jellybean Johnson. I’m absolutely heartbroken ! My beautiful brother Jellybean Johnson has passed .this band was and is the kind of Family that believed we all rightfully belonged together in love ,music and kindness . Jellybean was the master of loving you like no brother could ! My big brother, who watched over me and anyone who he loved !”

Born in Chicago, Johnson had quite an illustrious career. He was the drummer in the Time, which was a funk band featuring Morris Day, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis. He also produced and served as a drummer for Patti LaBelle, Human League, New Edition, Cherrelle, and Alexander O’Neal. Garry founded the Minneapolis Sound Museum in 2022, which was created to “educate, celebrate and create, while also providing an environment to learn, gather and showcase artistry that preserves and fosters the Minneapolis Sound genre.”

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