Jellybean Johnson, the original drummer for popular 1980s band The Time and also the producer for other iconic artists, has died at the age of 69.

TMZ reports that family members say Johnson, whose real name was Garry George Johnson, died suddenly Friday night. A cause of death has not been reported.

“With a heavy heart ... my dear friend Jellybean passed away a couple of hours ago,” percussionist Sheila E wrote on Facebook . “We are devastated by this news. ... He was a kind human being, extremely talented and funny. He had a great sense of humor and (was) an awesome guitar player.”

Parade reports Johnson moved to Minneapolis in his youth. He took drum lessons and learned guitar, enabling him to later begin working with Prince.

He was a member of The Time when the movie “Purple Ra

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