Tony Johnson; Founder of Jamaican Music Festival

Tony Johnson, 56, founder and producer of Reggae Sunsplash, the Jamaican music festival. Praised for introducing international audiences to reggae, Johnson was a native of Jamaica educated at UCLA. He founded Reggae Sunsplash in his homeland in 1978. Seven years later, he began touring a five-hour version of the five-day annual festival to cities around the world. The tours usually began in Los Angeles at the Greek Amphitheater. Recognizing the increasing popularity of reggae music, MCA Records issued “Reggae Sunsplash Live!” in 1993. Johnson worked with reggae greats Bob Marley and Peter Tosh and bands such as Third World, Aswad, Shinehead, Steel Pulse and Maxi Priest. On Monday in Pasadena of a heart attack.