What Was Peter Tosh’s Net Worth?
Peter Tosh, OM, was a Jamaican reggae musician and singer who had a net worth of $1 million at the time of his death in 1987. Peter Tosh first became famous performing in the Jamaican band the Wailers alongside Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer.
With the Wailers, Peter released the albums “The Wailing Wailers” (1965), “Soul Rebels” (1970), “Soul Revolution Part II” (1971), “Catch a Fire” (1973), and “Burnin'” (1973). The trio was known for singles such as “Stir It Up,” “Get Up, Stand Up,” and “I Shot the Sheriff.” Tosh left the Wailers in 1974 after the president of Island Records refused to release his solo album. Peter went on to release the solo albums “Legalize It” (1976), “Equal Rights” (1977), “Bush Doctor” (1978), “Mystic Man” (1979), “Wanted Dread & Alive” (1981), “Mama Africa” (1983), and “No Nuclear War” (1987). Sadly, three men broke into Tosh’s home in September 1987 and shot him to death. He was 42 years old. In 2012, Peter was posthumously awarded Jamaica’s Order of Merit, one of the country’s highest honors.
Early Life
Peter Tosh was born Winston Hubert McIntosh on October 19, 1944, in Grange Hill, Jamaica. His parents, Alvera Coke and James McIntosh, abandoned him, so he was “shuffled among relatives.” When Peter was 15 years old, his aunt passed away, and he subsequently moved to the Trenchtown area of Kingston, Jamaica. Tosh began learning guitar after he spent half a day watching a man play the same song and memorized everything he saw the man’s fingers do. Peter then picked up the man’s guitar and played the song. During the early ’60s, Tosh studied with Joe Higgs, a vocal teacher who offered free music lessons. Through Higgs, he met Bob Marley (born Robert Nesta Marley) and Bunny Wailer (born Neville O’Reilly Livingston), and they began singing together in 1962. Higgs taught them how to harmonize, and the trio often played on the streets of Trenchtown.
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Career
In 1963, Peter, Bob, and Bunny formed the Wailing Wailers, and singers Junior Braithwaite, Cherry Smith, and Beverley Kelso soon joined the band. Tosh was initially the only member of the band that could play any instruments, and since he taught himself to play guitar and keyboards, the other members were inspired to learn to play instruments. The group had a hit with the 1964 ska single “Simmer Down” and recorded many more successful songs before Braithwaite, Smith, and Kelso left in late 1965. The band released its debut album, “The Wailing Wailers,” in 1965, and it featured singles such as “Love and Affection” / “Teenager in Love,” “One Love” / “Do You Feel the Same Way Too,” and “What’s New Pussycat” / “Where Will I Find.” By the time the group released the 1970 album “Soul Rebels,” the three original members had shortened the band’s name to the Wailers. “Soul Rebels” and 1971’s “Soul Revolution Part II” included some of the earliest reggae songs that became well-known, such as “Duppy Conqueror” and “Soul Rebel.” The Wailers released the albums “Catch a Fire” and “Burnin'” in 1973. “Catch a Fire” was certified Gold in the U.K., and “Burnin'” went Gold in the U.S. and Silver in the U.K. “Stir It Up” from “Catch a Fire” and “Get Up, Stand Up” and “I Shot the Sheriff” from “Burnin'” were certified Silver in the U.K. “Get Up, Stand Up” reached #49 in New Zealand and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. “I Shot the Sheriff” reached the top 10 in nine countries, topping the charts in Canada, New Zealand, and the U.S. Peter and Bunny both left the Wailers in 1974.
Tosh released his first solo album, “Legalize It,” in 1976, and it reached #54 on the UK Albums Chart and #199 on the “Billboard” 200 chart. The album went Platinum in the U.S., and it was featured in the book “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die” (2005). His next album, 1977’s “Equal Rights,” peaked at #146 on the “Billboard” 200 chart and was certified Gold in the U.S. Peter’s third solo album, 1978’s “Bush Doctor,” was certified Gold in the Netherlands and reached #34 on Australia’s Kent Music Report and #104 on the “Billboard” 200 chart. That album featured performances from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. During Marley’s 1978 One Love Peace Concert, Tosh lit a joint and spoke about legalizing cannabis, criticizing dignitaries Edward Seaga and Michael Manley (who were in attendance) for failing to enact legislation to make it legal. A few months later, Peter was apprehended by authorities when he was leaving Kingston’s Skateland dance hall, and he was beaten while he was in the custody of the police. In 1979, he released the album “Mystic Man,” which reached #72 on Australia’s Kent Music Report and #104 on the “Billboard” 200 chart. The 1981 album “Wanted Dread & Alive” reached #91 on the “Billboard” 200 chart and #40 on the “Billboard” Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Tosh took a break after 1983’s “Mama Africa,” which was his most successful album on the “Billboard” 200 chart, peaking at #59. His final studio album, “No Nuclear War,” was released in 1987 and posthumously earned him a Grammy.
(Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)
Personal Life
At the time of his death in 1987, Peter was in a relationship with Andrea Marlene Brown. Tosh has several children, and his son Jawara McIntosh died in 2020, three years after being attacked in jail by inmate Kyrie Charon Baum. Peter’s daughter Niambe McIntosh is the administrator of his estate. In 1973, Tosh and his girlfriend, Evonne, were driving home when his car was hit by a vehicle that was being driven on the wrong side of the road. Evonne was killed in the accident, and Peter’s skull was severely fractured. Tosh was a devotee of Rastafarianism, along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, and the three men were baptized in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Peter was interested in unicycles, and he often rode onto the stage on a unicycle during his concerts.
Death and Legacy
On September 11, 1987, three men on motorcycles came to Peter’s Jamaica home and demanded money. Tosh said that he didn’t have any on him, and the men subsequently tortured him in an attempt to get money. A few of Peter’s associates came by to visit him, and they were taken hostage. One of the gunmen, Dennis “Leppo” Lobban, had previously been befriend by Tosh, who had tried to help find him a job after a jail sentence. After Peter insisted that he had no money in the house, the men opened fire and shot him twice in the head, killing him at the age of 42. Disc jockey Jeff ‘Free I’ Dixon and herbalist Wilton “Doc” Brown were also killed, and several others were injured, including Andrea Marlene Brown, Tosh’s common law wife. Lobban surrendered to the authorities, and two other men were questioned but weren’t publicly named. Lobban pleaded innocent during his trial, but he was found guilty and sentenced to death. In the mid-1990s, his sentence was commuted. Another suspect was acquitted because of a lack of evidence.
After his death, Peter’s estate was meant to be split equally among his 10 children, but in a 2014 lawsuit, his daughter Aldrina McIntosh alleged that her youngest sibling, Niambe, hadn’t “paid her or their other eight siblings a cent in royalties for the past five years,” according to “Page Six.” In 2015, Niambe declared April 20th International Peter Tosh Day, in honor of her father’s “philosophy of responsible cannabis consumption for medicinal and spiritual health benefits.” In 2016, the Peter Tosh Museum opened in Kingston, Jamaica, on what would’ve been Peter’s 72nd birthday.
Awards and Nominations
Tosh earned two Grammy nominations for Best Reggae Recording, winning for “No Nuclear War” in 1988. His other nomination was for “Captured Live” (1985). In 2012, he was posthumously honored with Jamaica’s Order of Merit, which is awarded to people who have “achieved eminent international distinction in the field of science, the arts, literature or any other endeavour.” In 2023, Peter was posthumously awarded the Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo, which the President of South Africa grants to “foreign citizens who have promoted South African interests and aspirations through co-operation, solidarity, and support.”
