The tragic news has just come in that Millie Small has passed away.

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She was seventy-three-years-old.

The Jamaican singer impacted so many lives...

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But firstly, let's take a look back at her incredible life and legacy.

Born in 1946 in Clarendon, Jamaica...

Millie was the daughter of a plantation overseer.

In similarity to many Jamaican singers of the era...

Her career began by winning the Vere Johns Opportunity Hour talent contest, which she won at the age of twelve.

As she grew up, Millie decided that a career in singing is something she wanted to pursue.

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She then moved to Kingston, Jamaica, and lived with relatives as she embarked on this ambitious career.

In 1962, as a teenager, she began recording duets...

She sang "Sugar Plum" with Owen Grey and she later recorded with Roy Panton for Coxsone Dodd's Studio One record label as "Roy and Millie." They had a local hit called "We'll Meet."

These hits brought in a lot of attention...

Including the attention of Chris Blackwell, who became her manager and legal guardian. In late 1963, he took her to Forest Hill, London, where she was given intensive training in dancing and diction.

This rose Millie to stardom...

And this was also when she recorded her own version of Barbie Gaye's "My Boy Lollipop" which went down very well with critics. This track went on to become a significant sound of British pop history, with it selling over 600,000 copies in the U.K. alone.

"My Boy Lollipop" is now one of the biggest-selling ska songs of all time...

With a staggering 7 million sales worldwide.

She went on to record many more iconic hits...

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Including "Sweet William" and "Bloodshot Eyes."

Millie spent a lot of her life recording and touring in London...

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But she later lived in places like Singapore and New Zealand.

She has one daughter named Jaelee...

And she clearly passed the talent down to her daughter who went on to be a singer and songwriter also.

Millie spent her final years in London...

And reports have come in releasing the heartbreaking news that she passed away in her London home on the 5th of May 2020 at the age of seventy-three.

Tributes from all over the world have been flooding in for the singer...

And it's true when fans describe her as a "Jamaican groundbreaker."

Her music is known by everyone...

And she will forever be remembered as a music legend.

Chris Blackwell has spoken out about this tragic loss...

"She was such a sweet person, really a sweet person. Very funny, great sense of humor. She was really special," he told The Jamaican Observer.

It is believed that the singer died from natural causes.

The BBC reported that Millie passed away after suffering from a fatal stroke.

Rest in Peace, Millie.

Our thoughts and condolences go out to her family during this terrible time.