“We weren’t getting paid that much, so our only solace was whupping his ass on stage”: Jellybean Johnson, drummer with Prince associates The Time, has died, aged 69

Musicians and friends have been paying tribute to Garry ‘Jellybean’ Johnson, drummer with Prince’s frenemy band The Time, after he died on 21 November at the age of 69.

Along with Jimmy Jam, Monte Moir (both keyboards), Terry Lewis (bass), David Eiland (sax) and Alexander O’Neal (vocals), Johnson was a member of Flyte Time, the Minneapolis funk/R&B band that Prince would end up using as the basis for The Time, who he put together in 1981. For this iteration of the band, Morris Day replaced O’Neal and the line-up was bolstered by Jesse Johnson (guitar) and Jerome Benton, who became Day’s comic foil and supposed valet.

Although Jelybean Johnson didn’t play on all of The Time’s recordings - the majority of the parts were played by Prince and Morris Day - he did help turn them into a formidable live proposition who frequently supported Prince on tour and appeared as his musical rivals in the Purple Rain movie. In fact, the band would make it their mission to try and upstage him.

“My cheque was for $150 a week,” Johnson is quoted as saying in John McKie’s 2025 book, Prince: A Sign o’ the Times. “At the end of the tour, our bonus was $250. We weren’t getting paid that much, so our only solace was whupping his ass on stage.”

Johnson calls Prince’s decision to put The Time together “his Frankenstein moment. He created us. He couldn’t kill us because we killed.”

As well as being a talented drummer, Johnson was also a guitarist and producer. He co-wrote and co-produced (alongside Jam and Lewis) Alexander O’Neal’s hit Criticize, and co-produced Janet Jackson’s 1990 single Black Cat. He rejoined The Time that same year (they previously disbanded in 1985) for Prince’s Graffiti Bridge movie and a new album, Pandemonium.

In later life, Johnson made a notable appearance alongside Rihanna at the 2008 Grammy Awards, when she joined The Time for a medley of their hit Jungle Love and her own Umbrella and Don’t Stop The Music.

Among those paying tribute to Johnson over the weekend were fellow Prince collaborator Sheila E, who took to Instagram to call him “extremely talented and funny”, and Morris Day, who gave a statement to Rolling Stone.

“Jellybean was a friend of mine since the age of 11 years old,” he said. “He wasn’t just a bandmate, he was more like a brother to me.

“As one of the original members of the Time, Bean was a consummate musician. All he ever wanted to do was play and talk music. Even after our concerts, he would find a local pub, get on stage, and Jam with the house band. I’m certain he’s up in heaven now with Prince assembling an All-Star lineup of some of the baddest musicians to ever do it. Bean will forever be missed.”