Thanksgiving service for Denroy Morgan Friday and Saturday

The celebration of life for reggae artiste Denroy Morgan will take place over two days this weekend.

On Friday, April 8, there will be a viewing from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the National Indoor Sports Centre.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange has outlined that members of the public attending the centre to pay their respects to this “pioneer of reggae music” are required to wear masks, sanitise and observe physical distancing.

Minister Grange said the public viewing will be followed by “a series of tribute performances by members of the entertainment fraternity”.

“Though Denroy Morgan was a devout Rastafarian, he always advocated for unity between the lion and the lamb, with the lion representing the Rastafarian faith and the lamb representing the Christian faith. He had many Christians in his family, and he was always respectful to them and their beliefs. As such, the gathering at the National Indoor Sports Centre will be in keeping with his firm belief in peace and unity,” Grange said in a release.

DEPARTURE

On Friday, the ceremony officially opens with a prayer by the Ethiopian Orthodox Coptic Church, followed by the Nyabinghi Drummers and remarks by Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

On Saturday, April 9, a motorcade will depart Perry’s Funeral Home with stops at Spanish Town Square, 12 Tribes of Israel HQ on Hope Road, and on to Heritage Estate in Port Morant, St Thomas, for the interment.

The farewell activities in Jamaica follow a private service of thanksgiving in Atlanta, USA, earlier this month, a JIS release stated.

Morgan had a successful solo career and commercial success in the 1980s with the hit single I’ll Do Anything for You, which peaked at number nine on the American Soul Chart and led to him becoming the first Jamaican act to be signed by a major record label.

Morgan was also the father of Peter ‘Peetah’ Morgan, Una Morgan, Roy ‘Gramps’ Morgan, Nakhamyah ‘Lukes’ Morgan and Memmalatel ‘Mr Mojo’ Morgan, members of the Grammy Award-winning reggae group Morgan Heritage. The musical trio of Noshayah Morgan, Otiyah ‘Laza’ Morgan and Miriam Morgan are also members of LMS, a dancehall/hip-hop band.