Gospel singer 'Kukudoo' has died

Gospel singer David 'Kukudoo' McDermott has died.

A post to his social media pages stated that he died on Friday.

"It is with a heavy heart that we the family of David 'Kukudoo' McDermott have to tell the public that he passed this morning, at this time we ask for grace and respect in our time of grief," the post stated. 

A former machine operator at the now-defunct Bernard Lodge Sugar Estate, Kukudoo got his start singing at nine nights, or ‘dead yards’ as it is known.

One night, the church band was playing at a nine-night, when the engineer recorded Kukudoo’s performance and put it on a CD. A few change of hands and some copies later, King David (See People Business and Leave It Alone) was playing in taxis all across the island.

His singing blossomed into a full-time career, which saw him being called on regularly for assignments overseas. 

He was also a fixture on the annual Jamaica Independence Gala, where his rousing mento-soaked gospel songs and high-energy performances are always winners.

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