The Jamaica Observer’s Entertainment Desk presents the 14th in a series titled Bob Marley — The Last 40 Days to commemorate the 40th anniversary of his passing.

AN ominous blanket covered the premises at Tuff Gong Studios the day Bob Marley died. According to Anthony “Sangie” Davis, former A&R supervisor at the studio and Marley’s close friend, everything changed.

“I was at the studio when I heard, and there are no words to explain how I felt. The whole place looked gloomy, and everybody was in shock. Even when he was sick, we hoped for him to get better. The death came as a total surprise. It hard fi explain…there was just a huge sense of loss that you could see and feel in the air. It was like a family member died,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Marley lost his battle with cancer on May 11, 1981. He was 36. Marley and Davis were members of the 12 Tribes of Israel.

Davis, 78, disclosed that he and his colleagues hosted a weekly show which aired on Radio Jamaica and the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation, but after learning of the death, it had to be cancelled that week.

“A piece of sadness just come over, and we couldn’t bother guh studio guh record. The show was called Tuff Gong Uprising and it would be aired at 2:00 [pm] on a Friday, but we would go to the studio earlier in the week to pre-record it. That day we were supposed to go, but we just couldn’t do it,” Davis recalled.

Davis was born in the gritty community of Denham Town in west Kingston, and says he first met Marley in nearby Trench Town. They became very close over time, with Davis credited as co-writer for Wake Up and Live, a song from Bob Marley and The Wailers’ 1979 album, Survival, which Marley dedicated to freedom fighters in colonised Africa.

Davis also played an instrumental role in the career of Nadine Sutherland, whom he recruited for the Tuff Gong label. He wrote her 1980 track A Young One Like Me.

He stressed that Marley’s character remained consistent throughout their friendship.

“He was always kind, loving, humble; him never dressy dressy, no matter how rich or famous he got. He loved life and loved to be around positivity. He was always the same Bob I knew from Trench Town. We always played football and reason and do regular stuff,” Davis told the Observer.

Even after four decades, he said, occasionally, disbelief hits that his friend is dead.

“Sometimes when I sit and think about Bob it’s like you can’t believe that so much time has passed. It’s one of those things that you never truly get over. There are so many memories…” he continued.

Davis added that no matter what, Bob Marley was firm in his faith.

“He was always speaking highly of His Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie. He started all meetings in the name of His Majesty. He never left him out, regardless of the circumstances. Future generations will come to know of Bob, because he left his footprints in the sands of time,” he said.