Friends, family say farewell to Elva with comedy show

Scores of celebrities, fans and members of the comedy community came out in their numbers to show support as the weekly Johnny Live Comedy Bar series said its final farewell to popular host an comedienne Elva Ruddock.

The Johnny Live Comedy Bar series, held on a Tuesday night at 100 Hope Road in St Andrew and on a Thursday Night at 100 MoBay, is organised by noted TV personality, actor and comedian Chris 'Johnny' Daley. For this week's staging, Daley decided it was only fitting to have a comedy marathon to celebrate the life of his longtime friend and co-worker Elva Ruddock.

"Elva had a larger than life personality that everyone around her couldn't help but feel, and so we decided to celebrate her in comedy with all her family and friends and members of the entertainment community because she would want us to keep the laughs going," Daley explained.

Some of Jamaica's biggest names in comedy and entertainment showed their support on stage at 100 Hope Road. Some of the persons who showed up were Blakka and Ity Ellis, Dufton Shepherd, Apachie Chief Jnr and Sarge, Tubeless, Bobby Smith, Boasty Boy Floyd, Dalton Spence, Leighton Smith, Beenie Man, Tanya Stephens, Deon Silvera.

The large audience was overcome with a bevy of emotions from laughter to tears as tributes rolled out for 'Hero Duck', as Elva was affectionately called after a viral post years ago.

The event came to a climax as family and friends, including Elva's brother, Quacky, and best friend Rennae Excel, led the group in song on stage to give a final 'Yeah Yeah' to their loved one.