A’mari mourns ‘true love’ Gully Bop

Fans, ex-lovers and well-wishers have been sharing their thoughts on the passing of popular dancehall artiste, Robert Lee Malcolm, more affectionately known as Gully Bop.

In an exclusive interview with THE STAR, the artiste's ex-girlfriend, A'mari DJ Mona Lisa, said that she has lost her "true love".

"Bop has blue eyes. They are so beautiful. When I try to tell people no one believes me. He is also handsome. I could never understand why most people thought he was not. In the entertainment world, there are scripts, but this is my true love, my mentor, my godfather. He opened up doors for me," A'mari said.

A'mari, who is also a recording artiste, added that she shared a "sacred" bond with Gully Bop and most of what happened between them was just for "entertainment purposes", but beyond the facade, she really had the Every Gyal Want a Wuk Affa Mi artiste's interests at heart.

"Bop was my teacher and my friend. I helped him behind the scenes as he wanted everything to be confidential. To the public, he pretended to be headstrong but he has a soft spot for me; it was all entertainment. When he falls, I would lift him up so that his name remains relevant on social media. The way I go about, no one could tell that it wasn't all with good intentions," she disclosed. Gully Bop passed away on Monday at the Kingston Public Hospital after being admitted a few weeks ago. He had several health issues including kidney disease.

A'mari said that when she met Gully Bop, he was already ailing.

"I met Bop sick. He had already had major surgeries abroad that most people aren't aware of. People saw the laughter but no one ever saw the tears when he was in tremendous pain both physically and emotionally," she revealed.

In one of A'mari's singles, Neko, which she later revealed was about their relationship, she detailed how hurt she was and the sacrifices that she regretted making for the deejay. In August, social media personality and philanthropist Donna Gowe had appealed to Gully Bop's former loves, including A'mari, to assist him. A'mari declined but now says she had a plan.

"When Aunty Donna asked for help, I gave my true response but then I had to go by a script so as to throw off certain people. I had to protect both him and me. My plan was to bring him back to America to receive treatment. I just relocate here and now he's gone. Can you believe?" she said.

Like members of the deejay's family, A'mari regretted that Gully Bop did not make better choices.

"His imperfections seemed to be carved in stone but below the surface, he highly praised God, loved humanity and embraced poverty," A'mari revealed. As she grappled to hold back the tears, she said Gully Bop was at peace.

"His spirit is with me. It's all that I have until we meet again. One thing I will never forget is when he said, 'One day you're gonna become so famous that you're gonna run from it'. Bop saw in me what the world took so long to see," she said.