Fraser- Bennet was the spokesperson for the Sound System Association of Jamaica.

"Hear my prayer O Lord and let my cry come unto thee. Good morning this is the Sound System Association of Jamaica...." goes the whispering voice of Louise Fraser-Bennett on her telephone message which greets callers to her office.

The music community is once again mourning the loss of one of its members, with the passing of Louise Fraser-Bennett who died early Sunday morning at the University Hospital.

Better known for her work in the music industry, Bennett guided the development of some of the island's leading entertainers including Bounty Killer, Ninjaman, Ghost and Culture, for whom she was manager and publicist.

As public relations officer, such was the impact of her advocacy for the Sound System Association of Jamaica which she founded, Bennett was often referred to as it's president, a position she never occupied. But as founder she emerged as the association's only spokesperson and she articulated issues affecting the sector with great passion and enthusiasm.

A product of the inner city, Bennett who often credited opposition leader Edward Seaga for her schooling, was also a community activist and did a lot of work in helping with the rehabilitation process in the correctional service.

Two years ago she successfully underwent open-heart surgery after doctors gave her but a few days to live. Shortly therefore after she became converted to Christianity.

But that never stopped her involvement in the entertainment industry. In May of this year, at the fourth annual Don Drummond Symposium, held at the University of the West Indies, she used the occasion to confess what she called her negative contribution to dancehall music.

"I am one who helped to destroy dancehall" the fearless, outspoken and assertive Fraser-Bennett admitted. In what was a rather earth-shattering mea culpa she revealed how she used to use her weapon and beat up artistes as well as how she influenced controversial deejay, Ninjaman.

"I've been performing a negative role in the music...I'm one of those who helped to destroy dancehall music by promoting the wrong values to the 'yute' dem. Me and my set of artistes was giving the people weh we think dem want, not what was necessarily good for us and our children - sex and violence...Thank God for a heart attack, and a heart surgery. Recently, I looked back over my life and say no man!"

In an effort to atone for what she saw as her "negative role in the music", Fraser-Bennett began working with a group of inner-city youth to promote more positive values and attitudes. The group is called Ready Fi Buss Crew.

"She was like a mother to me. She empowered me, for I'm about to release a song called Done With the War and Crime, King Kazoo, a member of the Ready Fi Buss Crew told the Observer.

"I never expect it so soon. Deep down it's a whole heap of pain, but we're going to carry on her work the same way, her work will not go in vain," said another crew member, Empress Luscious. She said the group will be performing at the funeral, the arrangements for which have not yet been finalised.

"So many things can be said about Louise. She was a woman who struggled in a man's world and beat the odds. A forceful person, she made a lasting impact on the many lives she touched. Her contribution to the music is unrivalled and with her passing a void has been left which will never be filled," entertainment journalist, Yasmin Peru, said.

President of the Jamaica Federation of Musicians (JFM), Desmond Young, acknowledged that Louise Fraser-Bennett was a full-fledged member and the music union was already in touch with the family about funeral arrangements.

"Even before she became a Christian, she was trying to make some responsible changes. She was an advocate for the disenfranchised, and she tried to correct what she perceived as the wrong she helped to inflict on dancehall music," Young added.

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