Louie Rankin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Leonard Ford c. 1953Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica, West Indies |
| Died | September 30, 2019(2019-09-30) (aged 65–66) |
| Genres | Dancehall reggae |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1974–2019 |
Leonard Ford (b. 1953 – 30 September 2019),[1] known professionally as Louie Rankin, was a Jamaican dancehall reggae artist and actor.
Leonard Ford was born in Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica and grew up in Rockfort and East Kingston.[2] His most successful song was the single "Typewriter", released in 1992.[3] In his lyrics, Rankin often referred to himself as the "Original Don Dada," a term used by many of his dancehall competitors, such as Super Cat. Rankin also performed notable acting roles as a Jamaican "gangsta", in the movies Shottas and Belly. He lived in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and was considered "the real Jamaican Don Dada". Rankin was a member of the Screen Actors Guild.
He died on 30 September 2019, in a car crash on Highway 89 near Shelburne, Ontario. He lived in Hanover, Ontario at the time of his death.[4][5][6]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Belly | Lennox | |
| 2002 | Shottas | Teddy Bruck Shut | |
| 2014 | We Run These Streets | Choppa | |
| 2015 | Q | Radigan |