Jamaican Bobsledder Sam Clayton Jr. Dies at Age 58 from Coronavirus

Jamaican bobsledder Sam Clayton Jr. died on March 31 at the age of 58 from COVID-19. 

Steel Pulse, an England-based band who Clayton worked with as a sound engineer, confirmed the news in an email to Daniel E. Slotnik of the New York Times. 

"Most important of all, in this thieving, cutthroat music industry of ours, he was trustworthy," Steel Pulse singer David R. Hinds wrote. "Where Sam towered over the rest of his peers, is that he held dearly every task he did, no matter how small, or how tedious. They all got his relentless undivided attention."

Clayton was part of the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team that qualified for the Olympics and inspired the Disney movie Cool Runnings. He wasn't one of the four men in the sled that crashed. 

Devon Harris, a founding member of the team, told television outlets in Japan (h/t TMZ Sports) that Clayton was an "integral part" of the squad:

"Although he never made the Olympic team Sammy was an integral part of the Jamaica bobsled team. He was among the very first four selected to spearhead Jamaica's entrance into winter sports and the Winter Olympics.

"He was an amazing human being who will be sadly missed."

Slotnik noted that Clayton also worked as a music producer and sound engineer for artists from all around the world.