Gully Bop kept cancer diagnosis secret; thanksgiving service at Ranny Williams Centre
Published:Tuesday | January 9, 2024 | 12:09 AMYasmine Peru/Senior Gleaner Writer
The thanksgiving service for the Body Specialist, Gully Bop, will be held at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre on Hope Road on Sunday, January 14.
His United Kingdom-based manager, Jackie Hunte, shared that the service will get underway at 11 a.m., after which mourners will proceed to the family plot for the burial.
“The family plot is in King Weston, Lawrence Tavern. I want to thank everybody for their tributes and kind words of comfort,” Hunte said.
She and Gully Bop’s producer, Wayne ‘Joseph Current’ Thomas, thanked Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, for her readiness to assist them in getting their venue of choice.
“I wanted somewhere of substance for Gully Bop,” Thomas stated. “I was the one who decided to call Minister Grange. I called her at 10 p.m. and she answered ... and from I said Gully Bop, she was ready. The minister did not hesitate. She knows who Gully Bop is and said that he made history as the fastest rising danchall artiste and a viral king.”
Thomas shared that it was Gully Bop’s wish to be buried in King Weston instead of Dovecot or Meadowrest because he wanted to be close to his beloved grandmother whose remains are interred in the family plot.
Ten days ago, a video was uploaded to YouTube sharing the details of the grave digging for the charismatic deejay whose cause of death was stomach cancer. Publicly, Bop spoke about his struggles with kidney disease, but he told only his nearest and dearest about his cancer diagnosis.
His sister, Ann Marie Chamberlain, was one of those in the know.
“He told me a little more than two years ago that he had the cancer ... and yes, he was worried about it. He told very close family members,” Chamberlain said.
Thomas said he only knew at the very end.
“I was with Gully Bop almost every day for two and a half years and I never knew. I was with him in the hospital ... maybe the nurses thought I knew. The thing is that whenever he was around me, he kept up that happy persona. I suppose he didn’t want us to worry about him too much,” Thomas said.
He spoke about Gully Bop’s commitment to the Heart of Love movement in the Kingston 11 community and emphasised that although some persons have shared that the entertainer was rude, he had another side.
“I am from Binns Road and I started Heart of Love. Bop was passionate about helping to uplift the children through sporting activities. He never missed a match when the kids were playing,” Thomas stated.
He further explained that the Heart of Love concept is one in which community members share their skills and uplift each other. They are the ones who are building the sepulchre for Gully Bop in King Weston.
“The sepulchre coulda finish days ago, but every time we go there is rain. But we going to finish it by this Saturday. We going to give Gully Bop a good send-off. Artistes like KipRich and Little Kirk keep calling to get the details, so I know they will be there. And I expect Bounty Killer too because he helped Guly Bop a lot,” Thomas shared.
Fifty-nine-year-old Gully Bop, whose real name is Robert Lee Malcolm, died at the Kingston Public Hospital on October 31. He was being treated for various illnesses, including kidney-related complications.