The Jamaican bobsledder Sam Clayton, who was the inspiration behind the 1993 film Cool Runnings, has reportedly passed away of the coronavirus at 58 years old, according to The New York Times.
Although Clayton is widely celebrated as being part of the Jamaican national bobsleigh team, he was also a producer, sound engineer and well-known manager in Jamaica's reggae scene.
The band Steel Pulse, who Clayton worked with, told The New York Times via email, Clayton wasa “well-rounded individual” and “most important of all, in this thieving, cutthroat music industry of ours, he was trustworthy.  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.”

RELATED: BET Reports On COVID-19 Updates, Facts And News You Need To Know

It was in 1988 when Clayton competed at the Winter Olympics as part of the Jamaican bobsled team, which would inspire the 1993 film Cool Runnings.
Clayton died in Kingston, Jamaica on March 31. He is reportedly survived by his wife, Annie, a daughter, three sons and three grandchildren. 

For the latest on the coronavirus, check out BET’s blog on the virus, and contact your local health department or visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.