Famous People Born In Kingston

Patrick Ewing is a Jamaican-American former basketball player who played for popular NBA teams like New York Knicks and Seattle SuperSonics. He also won gold medals at the 1984 and 1992 Olympic Games as part of the US men's national basketball teams. In 2008, Patrick Ewing was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame for his individual career.

Known as the most capped West Indian player in international cricket, Chris Gayle is also the only player with a triple hundred in Tests, a double century in ODIs, and a century in T20Is. Breaking Brian Lara's record of 10,348 runs, he became the leading West Indian ODI run-scorer.

Professional footballer Raheem Sterling currently plays as a winger and attacking midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City. He also plays for the England national team. Born in Jamaica, he moved to England as a child and started playing professional football when he was a teenager. He was named the FWA Footballer of the Year in the 2018-19 season.

Mary Seacole was a British-Jamaican nurse, businesswoman, and healer. She played a major role during the Crimean War, providing aid for wounded servicemen and nursing them back to health. In 1991, Seacole was posthumously honored with the Jamaican Order of Merit. In 2004, she was named the greatest black Briton for her contribution during the war.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is a Jamaican sprinter who achieved international recognition in 2008 when she won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Beijing. She then went on to win gold medals at the 2012 and 2020 Olympic Games. Counted among the greatest sprinters of all time, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce also has many World Championship gold medals under her belt.

Sean Paul is a Jamaican recording artist and producer, widely considered one of dancehall's most prolific artists. He is best known for his singles, Temperature and Get Busy. Most of his albums have received Grammy nominations under the Best Reggae Album category.

Jamaican reggae singer Orville Richard Burrell, better known as Shaggy, has delivered international hits such as It Wasn't Me and In The Summertime. The two-time Grammy-winning artist was also bestowed with the Jamaican Order of Distinction. He was part of the U.S. Marine Corps during Operation Desert Storm.

Shawn Rhoden was a Jamaican-American professional bodybuilder best remembered for winning the 2018 Mr. Olympia contest. He defeated the seven-time champion Phil Heath and became the oldest bodybuilder to win the prestigious title at the age of 43. Shawn Rhoden suffered a fatal heart attack in 2021.

Jamaican reggae/dancehall musician Vybz Kartel, also known as Worl' Boss, soared to fame with hits such as Romping Shop and Summer Time. In 2014, he was convicted of the murder of his associate Clive "Lizard" Williams and received a life sentence. However, he continues to release music from prison.

The son of reggae legend Bob Marley and musician and Miss World 1976 Cindy Breakspeare, Damian Marley is a renowned Jamaican DJ and rapper. Known as Junior Gong, the 4-time Grammy Award winner stepped into the professional music scene at age 13 and now calls himself a “Spiritual Revolutionary.”

Rohan Marley is a Jamaican entrepreneur and son of the legendary reggae artist Bob Marley. A former football player, Marley played for the University of Miami, where he was teammates with Dwayne Johnson, Ray Lewis, and Warren Sapp. He then went on to play professional football for the Ottawa Rough Riders in the Canadian Football League.

The Kingston-born American actress, who began her career with the New York Shakespearean Festival, acted in a number films and television series and won Primetime Emmy Award for her role in the crime drama Gabriel's Fire. Madge Sinclair was also a voice artist in the famous animated film The Lion King, released a year before she succumbed to leukaemia.

Buju Banton is a Jamaican recording artist widely regarded as one of the most important and celebrated artists in the history of Jamaican music. He is best known for his album Mr. Mention, which became one of the best-selling Jamaican albums of all time. In 2010, Buju Banton won the Grammy Award for his tenth studio album, Before The Dawn.

Courtney Walsh is a Jamaican former cricketer who played for the West Indies cricket team from 1984 to 2001. Considered one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, Walsh became the first bowler to take 500 Test wickets before finishing his career with 519 wickets. Walsh was made an inductee of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2010.

Masego is a Jamaican-American singer and musician who achieved widespread recognition in 2017 when he released his collaborative record Tadow alongside French Kiwi Juice (FKJ). Masego is best known for releasing songs that incorporate the saxophone in many beautiful ways.

Patrick Chung is a Jamaican-American retired professional football player best known for his association with the New England Patriots. He played in the NFL for 12 seasons, during which he won three Super Bowls for New England. Patrick Chung also played for the Philadelphia Eagles for a season during his 12-year career.

The daughter of reggae legend Bob Marley and his singer wife Rita Marley, Cedella Marley dons many hats. She is not just a singer but is also a successful fashion designer, an author, and an entrepreneur. She began her singing career with The Melody Makers and now heads her father’s record label.

Bunny Wailer was a Jamaican percussionist and singer-songwriter. An original member of a famous band named The Wailers alongside Peter Tosh and Bob Marley, Wailer is regarded as one of the foremost exponents of reggae music. Over the course of his illustrious career, Bunny Wailer received several prestigious awards including three Grammy Awards.

Bushwick Bill was a Jamaican-American record producer and rapper. He achieved fame as a member of the popular American hip hop group, Geto Boys. His popularity increased in 1991 when he shot himself after an argument with his girlfriend. Although he lost his right eye, the incident helped increase the sales of Geto Boys' album We Can't Be Stopped.

Beenie Man is a Dancehall deejay from Jamaica known for his 1995 studio album Blessed, which earned him international fame. He started his career as a prodigy, recording albums at the age of 10! He then went on to establish himself as one of the most popular deejays; he has had feuds with famous contemporaries like Yellowman and Bounty Killer.

Sly Dunbar is a Jamaican drummer and musician known for his contribution to the prolific reggae and rhythm section production duo, Sly and Robbie. Dunbar and Robbie are also credited with founding a popular record label named Taxi Records, which has seen releases from international artists like Beenie Man. In 2011, Dunbar was featured in the documentary Reggae Got Soul.

Tessanne Chin soared to fame after winning season 5 of The Voice. The Jamaican recording artist was born to musician parents and was introduced to music as a child. Known for tracks such as Tumbling Down and Fire, he has also campaigned to raise awareness for diseases such as Lupus and AIDS.

Jamaican reggae musician Gregory Isaacs, also known as the Cool Ruler and Lonely Lover, soared to fame with the track Night Nurse. He excelled in both romantic ballads and socially relevant songs. He sold marijuana in his early days and had a lifelong drug problem. He was also once imprisoned for possessing firearms.

Michael Holding is a Jamaican retired cricket player best known as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. Nicknamed the Whispering Death, Holding was among the most feared bowlers of his time. Michael Holding picked 249 Test wickets and 142 ODI wickets during his illustrious career.

Arguably the most popular Jamaican reggae singer of his time, Dennis Brown popularized what is now known as lovers rock. The Grammy-nominated singer started singing at age 9 and later soared to fame with tracks such as Africa. He had a lifelong struggle with drugs and of a lung collapse.

Yellowman is a Jamaican dancehall and reggae deejay who achieved immense popularity in his country in the 1980s. Despite losing a large portion of his lower jaw due to a cancerous tumor, Yellowman has successfully released many studio albums and live albums. He continues to inspire many across Jamaica.

Sister Nancy is a Jamaican singer and dancehall DJ. She is the first female dancehall DJ to achieve international recognition. Sister Nancy was the most popular female dancehall DJ in the world for over two decades. One of her most popular singles Bam Bam is often referred to as the reggae anthem.

Aston Barrett is a Jamaican Rastafarian and former musician. He is best known for his role as a teacher and mentor of Robbie Shakespeare. In 2012, Barrett was honored by the Bass Player magazine with a Lifetime Achievement award. His achievements and contributions were recognized in the National Honours and Awards in 2021.

Born in Jamaica and raised in Canada, Lyriq Bent is known for series such as Angela's Eyes and She's Gotta Have It. He has also gained fame as Daniel Rigg in the Saw franchise. A sports lover, he is also a skilled golfer and is fond of basketball and soccer.

Richard Grant is a Jamaican-born American retired boxer. He is the former EBA Super Middleweight and Light Heavyweight champion. He is best known for his 2001 nationally-televised bout against James Butler. After losing the match to Grant, Butler met an unsuspecting Grant in the middle of the ring and landed a right hook to the jaw; Grant received 26 stitches.

Mike McCallum is a Jamaican retired boxer who held three world championship titles between 1984 and 1995. From 1984 to 1988, he held the WBA super welterweight title. A hard-hitting boxer, Mike McCallum was made an inductee of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003.

Jamaican-American boxer Alicia Ashley scripted history when, at age 48, she made a Guinness record for being the world’s oldest boxing champion. Nicknamed Slick, the Super Bantamweight champion had a 22-year illustrious career in the boxing world and is now a boxing trainer based in China.

Ricardo Fuller is a Jamaican former football player best known for his association with the Stoke City Football Club. He helped the club gain promotion to the English Premier League in 2008. He also helped them reach the FA Cup Final in 2011. Ricardo Fuller represented his national team in 77 international matches between 1999 and 2012.

Jamaican-British Marxist sociologist and cultural theorist Stuart Hall is remembered as a pioneering figure of the Birmingham School of Cultural Studies. A skilled academic, he was also the founding-editor of the New Left Review. His encoding and decoding model remains one of his most remarkable contributions to culture studies.

Super Cat is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay who achieved tremendous popularity during the 1980s and 1990s dancehall movement. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest deejays of the Jamaican dancehall scene.

Mavado is a Jamaican singer best known for his singles like Give It All to Me and I'm Sanctify. A controversial singer, Mavado has been criticized for anti-gay lyrics on a number of occasions. Apart from working with record labels like Cash Money Records and We the Best Music Group, Mavado has also formed his own label called Mansion Records.