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 Slain
entertainment personality, dancer and choreographer, Gerald Levy, popularly
known as "Bogle" and "Mr. Wacky," was laid to rest
on Sunday, February 6 at the Dovecot Memorial Park after two weeks of
festive activities and a thanksgiving service, which eventually turned
into a "jiggy affair," at the Kencot Seventh Day Adventist Church.
The dancers death saw rival factions from South St. Andrew bridging the
gap, as persons fearlessly "trespassed" into territories considered
"enemy borderlines" to get a last look at the man who has been
dubbed the "international king of dancing" and icon of the ghettos.
On the Friday and Saturday before the funeral at Matthews Lane, Tivoli
Gardens, Tony Spaulding Complex and Black Roses corner, where the viewing
of the body took place was total pandemonium. The most popular phrases
expressed by those viewing his body were: "A lie!," "Wey
dem did deh!," "Wey di key deh!," "Oh so badly Mr.
Wacky!," "Him pretty eeh!," "Him get better looking,"
"Mr. Cornwall [House of Tranquility's CEO] really mek him look smooth!,"
"Bwoy, di big man glass casket tuff," not to mention the vengeful
comments from those who swore to avenge his murder.
Bogle's mother, Dorothy Smith a.k.a. Miss Mae, holding on to the glass
casket, wept bitterly when it arrived from a one-hour viewing at Matthews
Lane to Black Roses corner on Friday, February 4. She was, however, soon
smiling when she looked at the pleasant demeanour of her son's face. She
then chanted, "Mi son pretty sah! Look how him a smile and look like
him a sleep. Wey dem did deh?" to backup shouting from the gathering
who asked, "Who dem deh?!"
On Saturday, before the viewing at the Tony Spaulding Complex, a brief
viewing of the body took place at the popular Tivoli Gardens spot where
the Passa Passa street dance is held every Wednesday, as the crowd was
too intense to make it into the Tivoli Gardens Centre.
 When
Bogle's body in Brite Lite's glass casket finally arrived at the Tony
Spaulding Complex, it was pandemonium as persons from Jones Town, Craig
Town, Top Jungle, Texas, Mexico, Havana, Angola and other adjacent communities
scrambled to get a look.
Several persons, including members of the Black Roses crew, wept openly
as the reality of his death hit them hard. Meanwhile, on nearby Lincoln
Crescent (Black Roses), the Lover's Choice sound system, which played
at the wake, rinsed versions of the tune said to have led to Bogle's demise,
"All Dem Deh."
As the night progressed, several persons (among them international press)
from as far as Japan, USA, Canada, England and the Caribbean descended
on the area for the wake that would take them late into Sunday morning.
Several artistes and guest sound system selectors who passed through paid
musical tributes. Both sides of Lincoln Crescent were lined with vendors
who were out in their numbers.
One resident remarked to XtraNews that, "Bogle a good youth. Look
how much people a meck a money offa him although him dead."
A JIGGY SERVICE
It was more of the same on the road leading to the Kencot Seventh Day
Adventist Church where the thanksgiving service for the life of Gerald
"Bogle" Levy took place on Sunday. The vendors were out in their
numbers. So too were the high rollers and paparazzi.
As expected, it was an elaborate, bling bling, jiggy affair. The officiating
ministers for the service had a warm time trying to get the oftentimes
disruptive attention of the audience, who were dressed in their best.
At one point during the tributes, persons inside the church who saw a
fire brigade-red Hummer drive into the churchyard thought that it was
Beenie Man and soon everyone was on their feet rushing to the door, despite
pleas by one of the ministers for "sanctity in the house of God."
Things soon calmed when they realised it wasn't Beenie Man, but as soon
as DJ Bounty Killer arrived, the mourners got into frenzy as the lanky
entertainer entered the church and the casket was opened for him to view
Bogle. Persons on the outside who had not seen the body then tried to
force their way into the church.
Before the spurts of chaos at the service, there was a salutation on behalf
of the East Jamaica Conference of SDA, followed by the reading of the
first lesson by MP Dr. Omar Davies, then MP Hon. Aloun Assamba reading
the second lesson and Bogle's daughter, Nadia Levy, reading the third.
Tributes were also paid by Bogle's children Gerald Jr. and daughter Geraliya,
who had the church weak and some persons in tears when she said, "We
love you daddy, we miss you, goodbye."
Other tributes also came from Digicel's Phillip Liu who said, "Passa
Passa, Weddy Weddy, Jiggy Jiggy--Bogle deh everywey," to the delight
of the audience.
Professor Carolyn Cooper, reading the eulogy, stirred emotions when she
reminded the gathering of the popular folklore "Sammy Dead."
"Bogle mek one dance, and di dance grow an' get so big, it kill poor
Bogle," were her words.
Things then started getting out of control again when L.A. Lewis, who
refers to himself as "Five-Star General," took to the podium.
He shouted out "See the key deh!" to which the audience responded
"Lock dem up now!" The comical entertainer, who was overwhelmed
with grief, lamented how he witnessed his friend Bogle being killed and
that he was still traumatized by the incident.
Delly Ranks and Voise Mail (with whom Bogle recorded the number one hit
single "Weddy Time Again") were next. They attempted to do the
song in tribute, but were overcome by emotion until dancers Ice, Boisy,
Kieva and Mad Michelle joined them on stage to do "Jiggy Time Again"
with the entire audience getting jiggy.
Already out of control, the sermon was replaced with the singing of several
lively popular gospel songs, during which Bogle's body, in House of Tranquility's
designer casket, was taken out to the glass carriage.
As the huge funeral procession, which was like a carnival and caused a
major traffic jam, passed through various communities on its way to Dovecot,
curious onlookers gathered along the way shouting "A lie!"
On St. John's Road in Spanish Town, yellow crime scene tapes welcomed
the procession. So too did the residents who brought the procession to
a halt and demanded to see the "king of dances." The glass chariot
hearse had to stop and the casket open for a brief moment for the residents
to see.
 Inside
Dovecot Memorial Park, Bogle's final resting place, was more of the same
as the throngs who came with the procession met up with the hundreds who
were already waiting, causing a major backup, as once again the casket
had to be opened for a final viewing before Bogle's remains were finally
lowered into the vault never to be seen again.
It was finally over. After weeks of celebration for the life of the slain
40-year-old dancer, the huge, elaborate, one-of-a-kind funeral with two
caskets, two funeral homes, two sets of funeral programmes, T-shirts and
buttons, top-of-the-line stretch limousines, double chariots, mobile boom
box motorcades and so much more--it was time to say the final goodbye.
Brite Lite Funeral Home provided the glass casket for viewing, floral
arrangements and glass chariot, while House of Tranquility Funeral Home
was the official undertaker who did the embalming, reconstruction and
arrangements for burial.
Article courtesy of XNews
Jamaica.
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