Boom Dandimite had plans to shell Sumfest

Mama Cherry, the mother of dancehall artiste Boom Dandimite, was too distraught to speak with THE STAR yesterday following news that her son had passed away early in the morning, two days after he landed in the United States.

Her niece, Christine Grant, has become the spokesperson for the family.

"Mi auntie deh yah a tek it very hard. She have high blood pressure so we a watch her," Grant shared. "Nobody was looking for this. Boom was recovering from the accident in April. Him did have head injuries and was breathing short, so him decide to go to America. Boom a travel from before him is a entertainer because his father used to work on ship and dem get opportunity like that. Plus Boom is his only son. And Boom have him papers ... but him don't really like foreign."

She confirmed that Boom Dandimite, a father of five, collapsed after disembarking the plane in Florida last Friday and was rushed to a hospital in Orlando, where he was admitted and placed on life support.

"Two of him daughters did fly up with him. Him heart stopped beating for five minutes and him had pneumonia, but we were all praying that he would recover. Boom was 50. His date of birth is July 22, 1972," said Grant.

She told THE STAR that the former Scare Dem Crew member was "born and grow" in Majesty Gardens, St Andrew, and lived in Braeton, Portmore, for a while, and then Seaview Gardens, St Andrew, where he was residing at the time of his passing.

The entertainer, whose given name is Herman Stewart, was booked to perform at Reggae Sumfest this year. He would have appeared on Festival Night 1 on July 21, alongside artistes such as Tommy Lee Valiant, Chronic Law and fellow Scare Dem Crew alumni Harry Toddler and Nitty Kutchie, as well as General B, Gyptian and a host of others.

Downsound Records and Reggae Sumfest CEO, Joe Bogdanovich, who was very involved in the career of Scare Dem Crew in the early days, expressed sadness at Boom Dandimite's passing.

"I have known Boom since the 90s. I knew him first as a member of a group first known as Nuff Nuff. That's the name DSR called them a little before they transformed into Scare Dem Crew, which took off. Boom wrote a lot of songs for various artistes as well contributing to the flavour of the 1990s badness known as dancehall. Big talent. Good person who will be missed," Bogdanovich told THE STAR.

Boom Dandimite and rising deejay, Mark 'Wilful Skilful' Pellington, were involved in a car accident on Half-Way Tree Road nearly four weeks ago, while on their way from Weddy Weddy to Leggo di Streets. Still in physical pain from the accident, Wilful Skilful was beside himself with grief over the death of a friend who he has known "from mi inna mi mother belly". He said that Boom was looking forward to "shell dung Sumfest".

"When Boom come home from hospital and me and him a reason bout Sumfest, Boom seh 'What happen to you mi deejay ... hurry up and fit up back because we a go shell Sumfest and we a go shell England. Mi tell dem seh fi bring yuh come a England to. How yuh mean Wilful ... a God and good road yuh nuh.' Yeah ... dem ting deh me and him did a reason bout. The last ting Boom tell mi is that him a give thanks fi life," Wilful Skilful said.

Boom Dandimite, Nitty Kutchie, Harry Toddler and Elephant Man formed the Scare Dem Crew back in the 1990s and scored hits with songs such as Pure Gal and Many Many.