Ronald Goshop, best known as the genial caretaker Mackie on Royal Palm Estate, has died. A post on CVM Television’s X account said the veteran actor’s body was discovered Wednesday at his home.

No details of his death or location of his home were available at publication time.

Goshop was a graduate of Kingston College and the Jamaica School of Art. He was established in theatre before getting the break as Mackie on Royal Palm Estate, a popular soap opera that aired for several seasons on CVM Television during the 1990s.

“I wanted Royal Palm Estate to represent Jamaica’s class structure. Reggae Carter was the plantation owner, Munair Zacca was the gangster, Paul Issa was the lawyer, Cyrene Tomlinson was the housekeeper, John Jones was the pastor and Mackie represented the lumpen element. He made sure Backra house was clean, him clean him shoes but at the same time he got the least amount of money,” said Lennie Little-White, creator of the hour-long drama.

He added that Mackie was the most popular character on the show and helped make the laid-back Goshop a star. It influenced Little-White to create a spinoff series called Traxx which saw Goshop reprising his role as Mackie, now a nightclub owner after winning the Lotto.

While not as successful as Royal Palm Estate, Traxx featured the biggest names in Jamaican theatre including Oliver Samuels as Mackie’s uncle Son Son, Leonie Forbes, Carl Bradshaw, Deon Silvera, Volier Johnson and Audrey Reid.

The amiable Goshop appeared in The Mighty Quinn, the 1989 movie starring Denzel Washington and Sheryl Lee Ralph. He also taught drama at Excelsior High School for several years.

Ronald Goshop’s death was announced four days after the passing of Reuben Nunes, who worked as a videographer on Royal Palm Estate.
-Howard Campbell