Capleton Mourns Death Of His Longtime Manager, Claudette Kemp

Claudette Kemp, the long-time manager of Reggae and Dancehall star Capleton, died at 1 p.m. yesterday (June 9) after a prolonged battle with kidney ailments.

One of the few female managers in the music business, Kemp had managed the ‘Fireman’ entertainer for more than 22 years.

“She had been fighting kidney problems for the last couple of years, today is a really sad day for the music fraternity,” a source told DancehallMag yesterday.

In an Instagram post yesterday, Capleton, one of Dancehall’s most flamboyant figures, paid tribute to Kemp, describing her as his “2nd mom, a great friend and one of the best managers.”

“I knew Mrs Kemp for 30+ years and we initially signed a 1 year management agreement June 2002. She was very intelligent, supportive, loyal with a 43+ year music career and managed me for 21+ years. We were very close and people called me her son. There are few female managers in the music industry but Ms Kemp was loved & highly respected by the Rasta community, music producers, promoters, media and fans worldwide,” Capleton wrote.

“Mrs Kemp operated my annual charity show (A St Mary Mi Come From) and was also supportive to my family and friends too. No matter if it was a business or personal issue such as the loss of my mother in 2020, I could always rely on Ms Kemp to help me. She was always there during my trials & triumphs and I will forever be grateful,” he continued.

“Condolence to her family & give thanks for all your thoughts & prayers. JAH Bless.”

Cabel Stephenson, the artist manager of Droop Lion, said that Ms. Kemp’s death was a serious blow to the music industry because of her ‘visionary leadership’.

“Ms. Kemp will be sorely missed, I know she loved Capleton endlessly, he has a lot of respect for her, and I know he is burdened by the loss of Ms. Kemp, he calls her mom and she treated him like a son. She was a visionary in the music business, she was easy to speak to, very accommodating, you could sit and could have discussions with her. She was a classy lady,” Stephenson told DancehallMag.

Three years ago, Capleton mourned the loss of his mother, Mabel Downer-Forbes, affectionately known as “Mama Live”, who passed away on May 28 at the age of 73 years old in her St. Ann home.

Kemp, in an interview with the Jamaica Observer, had said that Capleton first approached her to be his manager in 1994, but she declined. She had a change of heart when he came calling again a few years later.

She watched him mature and grow as an artiste and as a professional.

Kemp, a successful insurance agent, first entered the music business as a producer, when she produced a song for an artist dubbed Poppin for a Popular Song contest in 1980.

She later managed Beres Hammond for 11 years before assuming the reins for Capleton.

She was given the Queen of Reggae Island Honorary Award for her contribution to music in 2019.