Actor, musician Louie Rankin dead at 66 in car crash in small-town Ontario

SHELBURNE, Ont. – Jamaican-born actor and reggae artist Louie Rankin has died in a car crash in small-town Ontario at the age of 66.

Ontario Provincial Police say Rankin’s vehicle collided with a tractor-trailer near Shelburne, Ont., on Monday morning.

Photos from the scene show a mangled vehicle and a truck along the side of a highway.

Sidiki Morrison, who identified himself as Rankin’s manager and producer and is also known as Bizmo iBoss, says Rankin was a legend in his native Jamaica.

Rankin recently announced on Instagram that he was shooting a movie in Toronto with Morrison’s company, iHouse Records.

Rankin was also known for his role of Ox in the 1998 film “Belly.”

More recently, he appeared in DJ Khaled’s 2016 music video for his song “Nas Album Done.”

DJ Khaled posted a series of photos of Rankin on Instagram overnight, saying he’d been friends with the artist for 20 years.

Nas also commemorated Rankin on the social media platform, calling him a “live wire.”

“Great working with this man,” Nas wrote. “A legend. In ‘Belly’ you stole the show.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2019.