TOMMY Cowan, close friend of late singer Ziggy Soul, said his death is a huge loss for local communities.

“Devon Beckford was very influential, very kind, very caring. In fact, he was going to host his annual Christmas treat for the children of Trench Town the day that he died,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Ziggy Soul, 59,  died on Friday night at the University Hospital of the West Indies from kidney failure, induced by his severe diabetes condition. He had previously lost a limb and was blind in one eye.

Cowan, who was with Ziggy Soul at hospital when he died, said his death came as a surprise as he had only gone to do a CT scan.

“He wasn’t even admitted in the hospital. He was in the hallway waiting to do the CT scan and he kept asking Carlene (Davis) and I to pray for him. So my wife called me, and I had her on speaker phone while she prayed and prayed and then she began singing God Is Light, which Ziggy wrote for her last album (The Assignment), and that was it,” he said.

As a singer and producer, Cowan worked alongside Ziggy on the albums Genesis (2000) and Born Again (2007). However, the two had history long before that.

“I knew Ziggy from when I was managing Bob Marley and he was a member of the group called Earth Disciples. Bob wanted to record the group and so we did that. However, I later met him again at Church on the Rock through Pastor David Keane when he converted to Christianity,” Cowan stated.

Ziggy Soul was also slated to perform on Thursday night at Christmas Joy in the Bass, an annual concert held in Trench Town and produced by Cowan and friends.

After leaving Earth Disciples, Ziggy launched his solo career in June 1988. He joined another group Knowledge in 1994.

In October 1995, he converted to Christianity. He his known for singles such as Sing It Out, Born Again, Trust in the Lord and Hosanna In The Highest.

He is survived by his wife Marlene.