Singer Johnny Kemp dies at 55

The body of the R&B singer was found floating at the Montego Bay where he was on a vacation

R&B singer Johnny Kemp who was mostly remembered for his hit single “Just Got Paid” dies at the age of 55.

According to TMZ Bahamian singer was on vacation at Montego Bay, Jamaica where his body was found floating Thursday morning. The singer was scheduled to perform on a cruise organized by radio host Tom Joyner. Initial reports claimed that Johnny Kemp died after he got hit with something on his head in Joyner’s cruise but the company responsible for management of Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage denied the report, claiming the singer never boarded the cruise and never seen by anyone on the ship. Some later reports said that Kemp died after falling from the rocks on the beach. However, the actual cause of death is yet to be determined by the police.

Kemp started off his singing career at the age of 13, getting experience in local nightclubs of Bahamas before moving to New York. In 1979, he became a part of a band Kinky Fox. Kemp had the initial taste of success with the release of the debut album in 1986. The following year, Kemp released his second album “Secrets of Flying”. One of his tracks “Just Got Paid” topped U.S Billboard R&B chart and latter got a place in top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 of 1988. He was nominated for Grammy Awards in 1989 for the same song in the category of Best R&B single. Kemp also made an appearance in American soul singer Keith Sweat’s DVD Sweat Hotel Live released in 2007.

The singer had a wife, Deidre and two sons.