‘Ironically humorous that Bello died on my birthday,’ says Blakka

For Owen ‘Blakka’ Ellis, Winston ‘Bello’ Bell embodied everything that was great, both as an actor and a person, and among the many accolades that he heaped on him following his passing was that he was “unquestionably the greatest actor of his generation”. Ellis, during an interview, also spoke reverently of Bell’s “profound faith”.

“I would call it blind faith. He became a Christian in 1979, and he held fast to God throughout the years. He never compromised his faith,” Ellis said of his comedy partner, who formed his own church called Time Out for Jesus Worldwide Ministries.

Bell, he shared, had a lot of powerful testimonies from persons who attended his church and had received healing.

“And he was known for his community activism as well. Bello had a feeding programme for street people that would see him feed hundreds daily. Bello served the people and did a lot of unheralded, practical community development.”

The two, who met in 1976 at a Secondary Schools Drama Festival workshop, struck up a friendship that would last for 47 years. They became known as the comedic duo, Bello and Blakka, and shared many stages together across the world, wrote songs together for other people, including We Can, which came second to Stanley Beckford’s winning Festival Song Fi We Island a Boom.

“Bello was my friend, co-conspirator and partner in theatre and community projects. He was the kind of friend who come in like family. Our friendship predates the birth of our eldest children, marriages ... our lives always intersected in so many ways. It is so ironically humorous that he died on my birthday,” Blakka said.

Bell passed away on Saturday, April 15, the same day Ellis turned 63, and just a few months shy of his own 63rd birthday in August.

The last time that Bello and Blakka performed together was in 2018, and the last time that Ellis spoke to Bell was two weeks ago, when he invited him to be part of a new project, but he was forced to turn it down.

“He had his diabetes under control, but he still had lingering issues such as diabetic neuropathy. We wanted him to play the role of somebody’s father in a play, but he said that he couldn’t manage it. And it wasn’t in a way that he was feeling sorry for himself or anything ... it was more that he was sorry for letting us down. Bello was like that,” Ellis reminisced.

He praised Bell as “a fantastic actor with an unlimited range who could sing, dance, and play the guitar and the piano” and singled out a play that tested his range as a memorable moment in theatre.

“Bello was amazing in the Dennis Scott play Dog. It is one of the most complex plays, and as the narrator, he had to carry the play. He was masterful.”

Going down memory lane, Ellis revisited August 17, 1983, when their friend, dub poet Michael Smith, was stoned to death at a political rally in Stony Hill, St Andrew.

“We were rehearsing Suffere’s Song when we got the news of Mikey’s death. Mikey passed on Marcus Gravey’s birthday, and the same thing happen now. Once I’m alive and it’s my birthday, I will always remember Bello on my birthday,” Ellis said.

Theatre practitioner David Tulloch hailed Bell as “one of a kind”.

“He was a superior actor, great comedian, and a dear friend. I worked with him on three different productions as his director – Stop that Train, If Walls Could Talk, and Trouble with the Johnsons, the latter earning him an Actor Boy nomination for best actor in a leading role – and the honour was mine to have shared in that part of his journey. He was even the master of ceremonies at my wedding. He was deeply loved and will be missed by the performing arts community and the wider diaspora,” Tulloch said.

A distraught Dahlia Harris recalled that the first time that she worked with Bello was with her commercial stage debut, Children Children, and the invaluable advice that he gave her.

“Weeks into the run I had frustrated myself by overthinking every moment on stage. Bello pulled me aside one night, said he realised I wasn’t enjoying the show anymore, and gave me advice that I apply to every project I undertake up to this very day. Cindyrelisha and the DJ Prince meant we spent almost every day of just under a year together and it was such a delight to be in his company. We had so many conversations which gave me new perspective on just how resilient he was, how absolutely devoted he was to his wife Joy, how willing he was to assist those in need, how unafraid he was to pursue his passions,” Harris said.

In closing, she noted, “Bello had such care and love for humanity and I truly believe that made him the great thespian we all admired. He was committed to presenting a character in its truest form –understanding its nuances, what was at the heart of its actions, how to connect the character’s spirit with audience. Drama or comedy, as writer or actor, Bello was the finest. I will miss his booming voice and roaring laughter but most of all I will miss his kind words. Time to rest Bello. Peace is now yours.”

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com