Longtime Neon Prophet percussionist Plato T. Jones died Saturday, according to Cathy Warner, the owner of The Boondocks Lounge and a fan of Jones and the rest of Tucson's longest-running reggae band.
Warner said Jones, who was 64, died at a Tucson hospice, years after being diagnosed with cancer. Despite his mounting health problems, Warner said, Jones continued playing with Neon Prophet at the popular band's weekly Friday night gigs at the Boondocks until just a couple of weeks before he died.
Neon Prophet has been playing the Friday night gig at the Boondocks for almost 15 years, and they played the Chicago Bar starting in 1984 when Warner ran that music venue on East Speedway.
In his earlier days, Jones played with Curtis Mayfield and other big names before coming to Tucson and joining Neon Prophet in the mid-'80s.
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Warner said there's a memorial celebration of his life tentatively scheduled for March 6 at the Boondocks, hosted by Heather Hardy and featuring Hans Olson and other musicians. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.
Neon Prophet will perform Friday.
