William ‘Bunny Rugs’ Clarke former lead singer of the popular band Third World is dead

Clarke who would have turned 66 on February 6, 2014 died in a Miami hospital on February 02, 2014, where he had been in intensive care for some time.

Clarke was battling cancer and he missed some of the shows in Third World's 40th anniversary tour in 2013.

Clarke was born in Mandeville, Jamaica on February 6, 1948 and raised on John's Lane in Kingston, where his father was an Anglican preacher. He began his career in the mid 1960s at the age of 15.

According to Clarke his nickname 'Bunny Rugs' came from his grandmother calling him 'Bunny' as a child because he would "jump around the house like a rabbit" and from a member of the Third World road crew calling him 'Rugs' because of his liking for sleeping on the floor.

Clarke lived New York City from 1971 thru 1974 here he was a member of the dance band Hugh Hendricks and the Buccaneers, and later The Bluegrass Experience with Glen Adams, Eric Frater, and Sparrow Martin

Clark returned to Jamaica in 1974 playing with the likes of Charlie Hackett and the Souvenirs, Inner Circle, Bunny & Ricky and The Wild Bunch. He recorded with Lee "Scratch" Perry at the  Black Ark studio and released "Freedom Fighter", "Bushweed Corntrash” and an album titled “To Love Somebody” in 1975.

Clarke, returned to New York in 1976 and joined Third World, releasing his first album with the band “96 degrees in the Shade.”   He returned to the Jamaica and Black Ark studio in 1977 where he contributed backing vocals to "Chant Down Babylon Kingdom."

Alongside his career with Third World, in 1995 Clarke recorded as a solo artist, releasing the Jack Scorpio-produced album “Talking to You.”

Third World is best known for the hits ‘Now that we found Love’ an O’Jays cover, and ‘Try Jah Love’ both recorded during Clarke’s tenure with the band.