Tributes pour in for Stone Love’s ‘backbone’ Skilla

The Stone Love family is now in mourning following the death of Cecil Powell, the younger brother of CEO Winston 'Wee Pow' Powell.

Skilla, as he was known by everyone, passed away on August 28 at the University Hospital of the West Indies, from COVID-related complications.

Powell told THE STAR that his brother was integral to the smooth running of the company and that his passing is a significant loss.

"A lot of people might not know, but Skilla was the backbone of Stone Love. Yuh see when I am overseas, I don't have to worry about anything at all because I know that he is there to ensure that things go right at every local event that we are booked for. Skilla always prepared and mek sure that things are in place, Bwoy, it just sad," he lamented.

Blood clots

According to Powell, shortly after his brother was admitted to the hospital, the family was told that he needed a particular medication costing $60,000 because the medical team had discovered some blood clots.

"The following morning, we were the first ones at the pharmacy waiting for it to open. We got it and gave it to them, but, I don't know, for some reason he didn't get it. But it was really the breathing problem that he experienced and before you know it, he was gone," said Powell. Members of the music fraternity have since paid tribute to Skilla, or Skills, as some referred to him.

Jerome Hamilton of Headline Entertainment, who has had a decades-long working relationship with Stone Love, echoed Powell's statement without even hearing them.

"Skilla was the backbone of Stone Love. He was the man dispatching the trucks, overseeing the equipment, dealing with the selectors and just making sure that things were done in order. It was just the other day that I saw him at Weddy Weddy when the industry opened up and it's hard to believe that Skilla is gone. Skilla was a wonderful human being and he will be greatly missed," Hamilton said. Others have taken to social media to share memories of Skilla.

Stone Love Movement, commonly referred to as simply Stone Love, is one of the Jamaica's most enduring sound systems. It has won so many clashes and awards during its 40-plus years, that it has been officially declared 'The Immortal Sound.'