Entertainment
Bahamian legend, Johnny Kemp passes suddenly at age 55
By The Bahamas Weekly News Team
Apr 17, 2015 - 6:50:33 PM

The late Johnny Kemp (Photo taken in Grand Bahama Island by Erik Mosvold)

UPDATE: (April 22nd Jamaican Observer) No Foul Play in Johnny Kemp's Death.

(April 17th) We are saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Bahamian music legend, Johnny Kemp. He died on April 16th. He was 55. Details on the cause of death are yet to be confirmed.

Initial reports said he died on board a cruise. Later reports said he died after falling on rocks on the beach in Jamaica. Reports were that Kemp was to join a Tom Joyner cruise in Jamaica. Police said Kemp arrived in Jamaica on a cruise ship. Friday evening, TMZ reported that "Kemp died while vacationing in Jamaica. He was reportedly found floating on a beach in Montego Bay. It's unclear at this point what caused his death."

Reach Media, producers of The Tom Joyner Morning Show, confirmed that Kemp was not on the ship at the time of his passing. “We have received confirmation that Johnny Kemp has passed away. We do not have any other details. We can confirm he was not on the ship for the Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage Cruise,” the statement reads.

Born August 2, 1959, Kemp Johnny Kemp began singing in nightclubs in the Bahamas at the age of 13. He moved to New York in 1979 with the band "Kinky Fox." His self-titled debut album came out in 1986 and he scored a minor hit with "Just Another Lover."

Kemp is likely most known for "Just Got Paid" an "all-star finale" on Keith Sweat's 2007 DVD Sweat Hotel Live, recorded at a February 2006 concert in Atlanta, Georgia. The song got him a Grammy nomination in 1989 in a category that included Bobby Brown and Luther Vandross. The song was a No. 1 hit on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart.

Condolences are extended to his wife Deidre, his two sons, his family, friends and fans.


Bahamas statement on the death of Johnny Kemp

The legendary Johnny Kemp. 1959 - 2015. Rest in Peace.

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