By Adrian Frater—
Western Bureau:
Two days after her longtime boyfriend, 35-year old Kayon Wellington, was killed in a controversial police shooting, popular Montego Bay dancehall personality, 53-year-old Georgia ‘Bubbler’ Gray, has died. She had been ailing for some time,
“Well, everybody know seh Bubbler was sick but ‘Scatter’ (Kayon) death really shake her up,” a friend of the colorful Gray told THE WEEKEND STAR yesterday. “When she get de news seh him (Kayon) dead, it send her pressure sky high. Me a nuh doctor, but I believe seh she died of a broken heart.”
Wellington was one of two men killed in a controversial police shooting in Belmont, St James, shortly after 2:20 p.m, on Tuesday.
The other man was identified as Allie Hall, who residents said was a mentally challenged outpatient at the Cornwall Regional Hospital.
According to residents of Belmont, who protested the shooting and accused the police of killing the men in cold blood, Wellington was locked in a legal battle with the police arising from an incident in which he was previously shot and injured. The case came up for mention recently in court.
Despite the disparity in their ages, Gray and Wellington were like two love birds.
LIFE OF THE PARTY
Prior to her illness, they were often the life of the many parties they attended as the oddity between a pencil slim man and a plump woman was quite eye-catching.
“It was a strange kind of love but they really loved and cared about each other,” said one of Gray’s friends. “I guess they will both be dancing into eternity together.”
Gray, who earned the name ‘Bubbler’ because of the combination of her dancing skills and her size (well more than 300 pounds), appeared in several music videos in her prime and toured the United States on several occasions with top-flight reggae acts.
“Bubbler used to run fashion back inna de days,” said her friend. “When yu go a party, all eyes use to deh pon Bubbler. A fe her name de deejay dem use to call up. She was personal friends with nuff big artiste dem, including her long-time friend Beenie Man.”
In a recent article in THE STAR, Gray, whose weight had ballooned up to near 500 pounds, said she was suffering from several ailments including, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, and poor blood circulation.
Yesterday, the police described Wellington, who was Gray’s partner for more than 15 years, as a gang leader, who was one of the persons detained for several months during the State of Public Emergency (SOE), which ended in January.
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