Dancehall star Mr. Peppa is mourning the death of his mother, Alice Johnson, a former member of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
Many dancehall veterans have had to mourn the loss of their close relatives in recent times. Beenie Man, Shenseea, Mavado, and most recently Fantan Mojah have all lost their moms and expressed their feelings of sadness publically.
Now, dancehall artiste Mr. Peppa joins that unfortunate crew as he has lost his mother, Alice Johnson, who was 74-years-old. He is the brother of Steely from the famous duo Steely and Clevie.
His mother was one of the first female singers in the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Mr. Peppa, whose real name is Arael Jahzeel Walters, opened up about the loss of his mother, who was affectionately known as ‘Nanny’ to her close friends and relatives to the STAR.
Mr. Peppa shared that she became ill in March of this year and visited a doctor. However, it would prove too late as, sadly, she was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure and cervical cancer later on in April.
Peppa also revealed that she was on dialysis twice per week because her kidneys had failed. To further complicate matters surrounding her health, she was also dealing with a heart valve situation. The saddened deejay said that she passed away last Wednesday, August 11, at the Kingston Public Hospital.
The artist also admitted that he was very close to his mother and that her loss was a truly painful experience. He is the ninth of Johnson’s 11 children. He recalled their fun times together as a family with his dad and other siblings. The “Nuh Worry” singer also shared one of his fondest memories.
“I remember as kids as soon as my dad left to work, we would run into their room and jump up in the bed beside her. I would take one cheek and my brother would take the other, because my mom’s skin always felt good. We have this thing we called ‘love’ and whenever she was leaving, we would ask for some ‘love’,” he said.
In her last days, all of her children rallied around her, he added. He also said that some members of the Twelve Tribes were present to give support even though many people from the membership did not know of how serious her ailments were.
Johnson will surely be missed as she was active in the Twelve Tribes community, where she acted as an executive for many years and also found time to tour with the group Dan Hutson and The Seers.
“All of my early life, mom was touring and doing Twelve Tribes work. In the organisation, she was called Sis Zebulon the First, but her friends called her Nanny. My mom toured Africa three times and Europe countless times. She also did a tour of the Caribbean with Steely and Clevie. Steely was her first child,” he continued.
The deejay would go on to reveal that it was his mother who always supported his career and that it was actually his late brother, Steely, who helped him come up with the name Mr. Peppa.
The news also came as a shock to Cleveland Browne, the surviving member of the famous duo. He said he was still coming to terms with the news since the last thing he heard was that she was recovering. He made the comments to Loop News following the announcement of her death.
“This is a big loss for me personally. Steelie 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, this is a big loss for me,” he added.
It’s never easy to lose a loved one, let alone a mother, and we at Urban Islandz would like to express our condolences to the family.
