Funeral For DHQ Carlene’s Sister Pinky Set For Tomorrow
The funeral service for dancehall trendsetter Doreen ‘Pinky’ Prendergast is set for tomorrow at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre in Kingston.
“She’s getting a state funeral,” her sister Dancehall Queen Carlene Smith said on Tongue Talk with Razor B recently. “It’s gonna be at the Ranny Williams Centre entrance, to the Louise Bennett Garden Theatre on the 17th of September at 12 p.m.”
The culturally-beloved Pinky died in the United States in July following a long battle with cancer. It was Pinky who introduced her sister to dancehall, and together, they helped to revolutionise its fashion in the 90s, ushering in a culture which saw women being the object of the video light’s affection and attention. Pinky’s creative and innovative approach is captured in several music videos for artists like Beenie Man, Tiger and duo Chaka Demus and Pliers.
She became a full-time hairstylist after her life in dancehall, but resurfaced last year when Smith initiated campaigns to fund her cancer treatment.
Earlier this year, the ‘Butterfly’ creator revealed that she’d seen her sister reduced by 93 pounds during her illness. Since Pinky’s transition, Smith has also lost weight.
“I’ve actually lost 12 pounds, not intentional; it’s just moping, weeping, mourning,” she said. “I don’t know when I’ll stop. I hope I’ll never stop; that’s how much I love her. And you know as long as I’m alive, I know she will be with me, in me and about me.”
Before her send-off, Pinky will be celebrated at the MECA nightclub in Kingston tonight, a venue which hosted fundraising events towards her treatment, and her birthday party last year. The event will run from 6 to 11 p.m., with Smith urging patrons to be on time.
Helping to boost the celebratory atmosphere will be the Stone Love and Metromedia sound systems.
Smith also thanked her daughter, Crystal, for being a pillar of strength through her grief.
“Big up Crystal… There’s support, but it’s not the same at night when you lie down and I can see her face, because in the end of it, she was with me and she went up back to The States just to do some tests, and I can’t tell you what went wrong, but she gave up. She fought and then she gave up. I don’t think she wanted to be a bother to anybody – that’s how she was. She’s independent and she gave up.”
Smith also thanked the Eternal Rest funeral home.
“When I saw her body – I did have to identify the body – I felt good because I knew what she had gone down to, and when I saw what they did, they brought her back to looking like my Pinky which was good. That’s comforting for me cause I can’t bring her back.”
Other figures who contributed to Pinky’s treatment included Sizzla Kalonji, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Chaka Demus, D’Angel, Pamputtae, Richie Stephens, Culture Minister Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, Winston ‘Wee Pow’ Powell and Sharon Burke.