Gully Bop, one of the most covered dancehall artists of the past decade, died in Kingston, Jamaica on October 30. His pastor, Reverend Christopher Tate, said the deejay died at the Kingston Public Hospital from complications of kidney disease.
According to Tate, Gully Bop was admitted to hospital two weeks ago after a rapid deterioration of his health.
“God has taken him away from this cruel world,” said Tate, who disclosed that Gully Bop was baptized by the Holy And Deliverance Ministry in Jamaica early this year.
The flamboyant deejay was born Robert Lee Malcolm. He hailed from the Grant’s Pen community of Kingston, a tough enclave that is also home to Jahshii, one of the hottest acts in dancehall music.
In 2014, Gully Bop hit the charts with ‘Body Specialist’. That song, along with his homespun appearance, won him a place on Sting, the Boxing Day event billed as the ‘Greatest One Night Show on Earth’.
He did well enough there to have a rousing 2015 that saw the release of his EP, ‘Rags to Riches’, as well as other hit singles.
But it was his tumultuous relationship with his equally contentious fiancé, Shauna Chin, that made Gully a regular in Jamaican tabloids.
No announcement has been made if Gully Bop is survived by immediate family.
Written By Howard Campbell