Groundbreaking reggae saxophonist Cedric Brooks was pronounced dead at New York Hospital in Queens this past Friday.

"Cedric came up during the dying days of the horn-driven band, so he had to find a new expression. The result was, he came up with a sound that was singular," said Herbie Miller, curator of the Jamaica Music Museum.

Brooks' sister, Paulette Keise, said the musician was unable to speak after falling ill in 2010 due to complications from high blood pressure and diabetes.

She told the Jamaican Observer that cardiac arrest was the 70-year-old's official cause of death on Saturday.

Brooks was the member of various well-known reggae bands including The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, Light of Saba and, most recently, the influential ska band The Skatalites.

He gained notoriety for his instrumental contributions to the songs "Money Maker" and "Mystic Mood."

He was born in Kingston, Jamaica back in 1943 and at age 11 began attending the prominent Alpha Boys School, where his love for music began.

Brooks is survived by his seven children and four sisters.