The Time drummer Garry George “Jellybean” Johnson has died at the age of 69. According to his family, the passionate architect and preserver of the Minneapolis Sound passed away on Friday, Nov. 21.

According to the Star Tribune, Johnson collapsed at home in Brooklyn Park and later died at North Memorial Health Hospital. Johnson’s daughter Bianca Rhodes shared a photo of her father smiling and dressed in stage attire of a hat and impeccable purple suit on Facebook on Saturday saying, “I Love You Daddy. Daddy's Big Baby. Rest Well.”

An accomplished drummer, Johnson was the literal timekeeper for Flyte Tyme starting in the early 1970s. In 1981, the group formed an association with Prince, and became the funky pop and R&B group known as the Time. In the span of the 10 years that followed, Johnson was the beat behind the Time’s many Billboard Hot 100 hits including “Jungle Love,” “Jerk Out,” and “The Bird.” The Time toured with Prince for dates supporting his early ‘80s albums Controversy and 1999.

“Our first gig with The Time was in front of 26,000 people, and it drove me — I lost it, because, first of all, I'd never been in front of that many people in my life, and I never heard people scream like that in an arena, you know, 26,000, and it was just — it was surreal, and I'll never forget that,” he told The Current’s Andrea Swensson in 2020.

Johnson performed with the Time in Purple Rain, and also appears on Prince’s Graffiti Bridge film soundtrack. He also was the drummer in the mid-’80s ensemble the Family, which put out a self-titled album in 1985, and later reformed under the name fDeluxe.

Garry George Johnson was born on Nov. 19, 1956, in Chicago, Illinois. His family moved to Minneapolis when he was a child, and he later attended Marshall-University High School and the University of Minnesota. The “Jellybean” nickname came when he was a teenager after a Flyte Tyme gig that hadn’t gone well. Afterwards, he was speaking to the owner of the Flame Bar, a now-closed Nicollet Avenue venue, and described the band’s performance as a bunch of jellybeans. The next day, the club owner had printed a “Jellybean Johnson” shirt for him, and the rest is history. (For a lot more on Johnson’s career, listen to his interview on the Purple Highs podcast.)

He formed a close bond with Time bandmates Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and was a key collaborator with their Flyte Time productions. His work included contributions on drums, guitar, and other percussion elements. He co-produced Janet Jackson’s 1990 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Black Cat,” which appeared on her fourth album, Rhythm Nation 1814.

He also worked with Mint Condition on their signature song “Breakin’ My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes,” and R&B hits by New Edition, Alexander O’Neal, and Nona Hendryx.

Johnson was part of several high-profile performances at the Grammy Awards. In 2008, he was part of the Time’s reunion segment that evolved from Morris Day leading “Jungle Love” into Rihanna doing a funky version of “Umbrella.”

In 2017, Johnson and the rest of the Time returned to pay tribute to Prince at the Grammys. They played “Jungle Love,” “The Bird,” and Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” with an assist from Bruno Mars. In 2020, the Time were part of the star-studded Let's Go Crazy: The GRAMMY Tribute To Prince.

Under the name the Jellybean Johnson Experience, he released the album Get Experienced in 2021. Johnson used this album to showcase his skills as a guitarist, and it features songs with iLLism, New Power Generation drummer Michael Bland, frequent collaborator Ronnie Baker Brooks, and many other gifted musicians from the Midwest.

Also in 2021, Johnson announced plans to co-found the Minneapolis Sound Museum. “The Minneapolis Sound Museum will honor those who created the sound,” he told The Current’s Jill Riley. “It will have an event space for people to hear the sound. It will have a studio in honor of my son Regal the Rare for a new generation to create the sound, and it will have a retail space with merchandise and collectibles related to the Minneapolis Sound, including vinyls. Our goal is for the next generation to know what was created here in North Minneapolis.”

On Wednesday, Nov. 19, Johnson shared a message to mark his 69th birthday and to garner support for the Minneapolis Sound Museum ahead of Minnesota’s annual drive to boost nonprofits, Give to the Max Day. In it he says, ”As I approach this birthday, I've been asking myself what legacy really means. What do I want to leave behind? What do I want people — especially our young people — to know? And the truth is simple: I want our story protected. I want our community honored. I want the next generation to have what we had: access, opportunity, and a place to belong.”

Many tributes have been circulating online since the news of Johnson’s passing was shared.

A section of a tribute posted by Mint Condition reads: “In our early days, Jellybean believed in us before the world knew our name. Along with James “Popeye” Greer, he brought our music to the right ears, personally advocating for us and helping open the door that led to our first record deal with Flyte Tyme and Perspective Records. His encouragement, his knowledge, and his generosity helped lay the foundation for everything that followed. We are forever grateful.”

Johnson’s bandmate in the Family Susannah Melvoin writes: “Oxygen for him was the inhale and exhale of playing his guitar.”

Johnson leaves behind partner Marty Bragg, and his children.

Update (Monday, Dec. 15, 2025):

Jellybean Johnson will be memorialized during a series of events on Saturday, Dec. 20, in Minneapolis.

Celebration of Life - Garry George “Jellybean” Johnson

This public celebration will feature performances by Sounds of Blackness and Monique Blakely. Master of Ceremonies will be Pete Rhodes, and Reverend Jerry McAfee will preside over the event, which will be livestreamed here. 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.: Shiloh Temple, 1201 W. Broadway Ave., Minneapolis (repast for family and close friends to follow)

“Music, Love & Legacy” - A Celebration of Jellybean Johnson

This special event dedicated to musicians who performed with Jellybean and their memories will be led by Master of Ceremonies James “Popeye” Greer. Portions will be livestreamed. 3:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.: Mosaic, 817 5th Ave. S., Suite 300, Minneapolis. Free with ID.

Jellybean’s Favorite Band - Jaybee & The Routine at Minnesota Music Cafe

8 p.m. - 12 a.m.: Minnesota Music Cafe, 501 Payne Ave., St. Paul. Cover at the door and ID required.

Leave messages of remembrance here.