Alice Johnson, mother of Steely and Mr Peppa, has died
Dancehall artiste Peppa is mourning the death of his mother, Alice Johnson, who is also the mother of the late Wycliffe ‘Steely’ Johnson, the famous producer known for his graceful keyboard riffs and digital bass lines.
Ms Johnson, who was known for her work with the Twelve Tribes of Israel, reportedly died of a heart attack. She was 74 years old.
“She got ill on March 26th and then she was diagnosed with end stage renal failure at the end of April and cervical cancer.She died of a heart attack…she went into cardiac arrest and died,” a distraught Mr Peppa, who is known for the single, Hypocrite a Talk, said.
Ms Johnson is survived by nine children and several grandchildren.
Affectionately called ‘Nanny’ by her peers, she was born in 1947, and grew up in the tough streets of Trench Town. She was the first woman, alongside Sister Diana, to be a member of the Twelve Tribes of Israel where she became an executive in the organisation and adopted the name Sister Zebulon the First. She was also a singer in the group, Don Hudson and the Seers, a singing group affiliated to the Twelve Tribes of Israel that toured worldwide.
Cleveland Browne, one half of the famous duo Steely and Clevie, calls Ms Johnson’s death a “big loss”.
“I was in shock when I heard that she died of a heart attack because I thought that she was doing better. I know she had gone on dialysis, and she appeared to be doing better. This is a big loss for me personally, Steely was like a brother to me, I believe in honouring one’s mother and father, and she was like a mother figure to me, so this one hurts,” Clevie told Observer Online.
Browne teamed up with the late producer Steely to produce timeless iconic records for legends like the crooner Gregory Isaacs and icons like the dancehall star Super Cat, whose hit “Boops” spawned many imitations, including the 1987 Boogie Down Productions rap classic “The Bridge Is Over.” The Riddim Twins scored a Top 40 hit in the United States with their 1994 revamping of Dawn Penn’s Studio One classic “You Don’t Love Me (No No No)” and reached the Top 5 in 2004 with another vintage reggae remake, Sean Paul and Sasha’s “I’m Still in Love With You.”
Signing to a publishing deal with EMI in 1990, Steely and Clevie also collaborated with international acts like Heavy D, No Doubt and Billy Ocean.
Steely died in 2009 due to complications related to diabetes. He was 47.
