Gregory Isaacs is now at peace, says reggae crooner’s widow

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

JAMAICAN reggae crooner Gregory Isaacs, at approximately 4:00 am yesterday (local time), gave up a long fight with cancer.

His widow, Linda Isaacs, told the BBC that her husband died peacefully at their home in London, succumbing to lung cancer. “He went peacefully, very peacefully; he had been pain-free for weeks and passed on surrounded by his family, including children and grandchildren,” she stated.

She continued: “We were expecting it, he hung on for over a week... he hasn’t suffered; Gregory has found peace finally, a peace he never had while on Earth,” she said.

She said that Gregory, also known as the ‘Cool Ruler’, was only diagnosed with cancer in August of this year. However, he had been ailing from problems with his knees and had difficulty walking.

When asked what was her lasting memory of her late husband, Mrs Isaacs said that there were too many, but said he was a wonderful person who was misjudged by many.

Yesterday, Jamaica’s Culture Minister Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, in paying tribute to the late reggae artiste, said that the of death Gregory Isaacs was the latest in a series of painful losses to the Jamaican entertainment community in recent years.

Said Grange: “We have suffered the loss of some of the most creative and committed entertainers, including Alton Ellis, Roy Shirley, Byron Lee, Desmond Dekker, Brent Dowe and Joe Gibbs. These were truly gifted entertainers whose professionalism forced the world to take notice of our music, and created the environment in which our musicians and their heirs could gain the wide international acclaim and success that we enjoy today.”

“Gregory is one of the great pioneers of our entertainment industry, I thank him for the courage and confidence he passed on to his juniors, in terms of using their own initiative to overcome the hurdles of the industry,” said Grange.

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COMMENTS (13)

Kevin Schmidt
8/25/2011

and then they got on methadone and have been on that for 20 years. The point is that they are healthy for their age and every person that has died that went to the clinic I go to died from an overdose or just old age. I'm not saying that the drug doesn't have negative effects on you but it has never been proven to cause cancer and there have been studies done which suggest that its the cut in the drug that causes most of the health problems among users.

8/25/2011

I'm only 24 and when i was in the 6th grade I fell down my steps and messed up a disc in my lower spine. Once I was old enough I got prescribed opiate painkillers (Percocet, Vicodin, Morphine ect.) I was given Vicodin eventually the doctor cut me off and left me hooked so i started buying it off the streets. In a 5 year span I went from Vicodin to shooting heroin. I have been on methadone for 2.5 years now and have stayed clean. There r guys in their 70's who have been doing dope for 30 years...

Jamaican Dawta
10/27/2010

What caused my then 11 years old friend to die from cancer many years ago? Hard dangerous drugs??? An how come mi granmadda smoke all har life till she dead at age 84. Mi use to buy trappance "three pence" tobacco an one Shot-A-Pack fi har. Cancer nuh choose yuh cause a yuh lifestyle!!
RIP GREGORY!! Thanks for the music!!

Maude Cooper
10/26/2010

What about the poeple who never smoke or do drugs that died of cancer?

james allen
10/26/2010

all you morons out there,thats what hard dangerous drugs like cocaine ,heroin etc do to ones system..gregory isaacs was only 59 yrs old....well liquor drunk in excess too,cause cancer of pancreas is also caused by drinking boose plenty...hopefully a little island like jamaica ,none are hooked on these hard drugs ..cause apart from early death,you can get hooked on it,where you kill own family to get money to buy it..so dont start..its killing even the big rich countries

james allen
10/26/2010

just who write these cartoons in the observer newspaper..boy do they need a cartoonist..this one is tired and silly..almost childish...i am thinking he must be from one of the smaller islands...i can alomst place a bet on that..the attempt at humor is certainly not jamaican

Antonette W.
10/26/2010

This is confusing. How many wives did Gregory Isaacs have? British papers list his wife as one Linda and other papers list his wife as June??? Anyway, may he rest in peace.

enron murphy
10/26/2010

May his soul rest in peace. The observer is doing a great job covering news items. i haven't read any other paper online. i would like to see more pictures though. it would be nice to see a picture of Gregory Isaacs attached to the news item. thank you.

Jaye Stone
10/26/2010

Sleep well, reggae prince.

Hotta Fire
10/26/2010

Gregorey was always at peace. He was the cool ruler right.

ESTEBAN AGOSTO REID
10/26/2010

R.I.P. Cool Ruler.Condolences to family and friends.

Marcia Grant
10/26/2010

The badman 'swagga' is gone but his lyrics will live on. RIP Cool Ruler.

Jay Brown
10/26/2010

RIP in peace Gregory, RIP.

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Teen killed for laughing at man who fell from bicycle

Gregory Isaacs is now at peace, says reggae crooner’s widow