Funerals of Mighty Diamonds members will not be held jointly
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Many were expecting a double funeral but music industry insiders confirmed this week that the funeral services of Mighty Diamond singers, Fitzroy ‘Bunny Diamond’ Simpson and Donald ‘Tabby Diamond’ Shaw, will be held eight days apart.
Bunny Diamond will be interred first with a service of thanksgiving on May 12 at the Boulevard Baptist Church. The service will begin at 10:00 am.
“There will be musical tributes from a lot of artistes, the Heptones and Bagga Case have already been confirmed on behalf of JAVAA [Jamaica Association of Vintage Artistes and Affiliates] for next week Thursday,” Frankie Campbell, chairman of JAVAA, confirmed to OBSERVER ONLINE.
Burial will be held at Meadowrest Memorial Gardens. Campbell confirmed that the funeral service of Donald ‘Tabby Diamond’ Shaw will be held on Friday, May 20, at the Waltham Park New Testament Church of God at 10:00 am. He will also interred at the Meadowrest Memorial Gardens.
Both Tabby Diamond and fellow Mighty Diamonds band-mate Fitzroy ‘Bunny Diamond’ Simpson died within a turbulent period of four days that shook the reggae industry. Bunny Diamond passed away on April 1 after a long battle with diabetes just four days after Tabby Diamond was tragically murdered in his St Andrew community.
‘Tabby Diamond’ and another man died after they were among five people who were shot on McKinley Crescent in St Andrew on March 29.
Shaw was the group’s lead vocalist, with Fitzroy ‘Bunny’ Simpson and ‘Lloyd’ Judge Ferguson providing harmony vocals. The ‘Diamond’ was added to the names of the members of the group over the years.
The Mighty Diamonds is a Jamaican harmony trio with a strong Rastafarian influence. The group was formed in 1969 and remained together until 2012. They are best known for their debut album Right Time.
Tabby, Bunny and Judge have released over forty albums in their long career. Their smooth harmonies and choreographed stage show were inspired by Motown vocal groups of the 1960s, The Temptations, The Impressions as well as Jamaican rocksteady artistes, John Holt and Ken Boothe.
The Mighty Diamonds has received several local and international honors. Judge Ferguson is the sole surviving member of the band.
The group was bestowed the Order of Distinction in the Officer Class in 2021 on Jamaica’s 59th anniversary of independence.
