Gully Bop, the flamboyant deejay whose rise from obscurity made him a tabloid favorite in Jamaica, died in Kingston on October 30.
Reverend Christopher Tate, the artist’s pastor, confirmed that he passed away at the Kingston Public Hospital. The entertainer, who was in his late 50s, had suffered from kidney disease.
Tate said Gully Bop had been admitted to hospital two weeks ago after his “situation deteriorated really badly.”
Born Robert Lee Malcolm, Gully Bop was from the rough Grants Pen area of Kingston. His Body Specialist was a surprise hit song in 2014 and earned him a place that year on Sting, the popular December 26 dancehall show.
His appearance at Sting was sensational and made the chatty toaster a star. He was constantly in Jamaican tabloids due to his colorful utterances and his turbulent relationship with fiance Shauna Chin.
Tate, who met Gully Bop early this year, said the deejay was baptized recently.
Dancehall entertainer Gully Bop, whose given name is Robert Lee Malcolm, has died.
According to reports, the 59-year-old entertainer had been admitted to the Kingston Public Hospital for some time before his passing on Monday.
Gully Bop became a viral dancehall sensation in 2014 after some seemingly off-the-cuff performances were recorded and uploaded to social media platforms.
He later released popular songs such as Wuk Affa Mi and My God, Dem Nuh Bad Like Me. During his breakout year, he performed at Sting and was featured on platforms such as Onstage TV and TVJ’s Entertainment Report.
This was not his first attempt at a music career. In the early 1990s, he had gone by the stage name ‘Country Man’, but did not get a big break in the industry.
Gully Bop was also known for his relationships with fellow entertainers A’mari and Shauna Chin. In 2016, he was slapped with domestic abuse and robbery charges while in the United States, resulting from an incident with A’mari, who was also his manager at the time. In 2018, he was also arrested and charged with assault occasioning bodily harm following an incident with a woman.
After years out of the spotlight, Gully Bop was in the news earlier this year after reports that he was ailing and in need of medication.
Reports are that he had been hospitalized in 2021 after experiencing excruciating pain from a hernia. The entertainer later received surgery but was still in need of day-to-day necessities such as food and medication.
The entertainer had reached out to popular Jamaican social media personality Donna Gowe, known as Aunty Donna, to share his story. In a TikTok video, Gowe had urged the public to assist Gully Bop in any way they could.
The entertainer shared that he had previously been conned out of a GoFundMe campaign, due to the donations being managed by a former friend.
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