Gone, but R&B singer will live on through her music
Former partner recalls Puff Johnson’s legacy in SA
US SINGER Puff Johnson died in the early hours of Monday morning – after succumbing to cervical cancer. Johnson, who lived in South Africa for a few years, was 40.
Her former beau, Ishmael Morabe, of local hip-hop outfit Jozi, recalled an “always accommodating” woman, who – even when she had to take “a lot of pills” for incessant pain – never complained or let it weigh down on their relationship. The pair dated and lived together for a few years. “You can never be ready for such news,” Morabe said.
“But these things happen and you’ve always got to remember the good times.”
Johnson’s music would probably rank as some of the most requested on any Sunday afternoon, alongside Tamia, Kenny Lattimore, Luther Vandross and Brandy – especially on local radio station Metro.
He added: “There was always laughter and, whenever my friends came to visit us, she would cook for them. My best memory is when she organised a surprise birthday party for me a few years ago and, for a person like me when birthdays aren’t a big deal, it was very good to be surrounded by friends.”
In the past couple of days, Johnson had begun to bleed heavily, confirmed her friend, music director of e.tv soapie Rhythm City, Percy Vilakazi.
Johnson, whose hits include Over and Over and Forever More, was diagnosed with the illness five years ago and worried it would scupper her dreams of having children with Morabe, the “love of my life”. She even tried herbal and ozone therapy and, at the time, said: “If that doesn’t work, then I will have to undergo a hysterectomy and I won’t be able to have babies.” She never realised her dream of motherhood. Early in 2009 she began work on her sophomore album with local record label Ghetto Ruff Records. The label’s managing director, Lance Stehr, said this week they had recorded “15 to 20 tracks” for the album. He added: “It’s very sad that she only released one album. Her music in South Africa will live on for decades and this country was her biggest territory and will always be. We will be celebrating her music for a long time”.
She had to move back to the US three years after moving to South Africa, but the cancer returned.
Vilakazi was meant to visit the singer in hospital once he arrived in the US this week for the BET awards, but woke up to the sad news before his departure.
He told of a woman confused by, on the one side, her popularity here and, on the other, the apparent “attempts to drive her out”.
At some stage, Johnson was detained at O R Tambo International Airport and refused entry.
Local tabloids reported that Johnson was an illegal immigrant.
Vilakazi said: “That was nonsense. When she was here her tumour, which she had previously removed at a Pretoria hospital, grew back. She was then instructed not to fly because she had undergone chemotherapy.
“It’s not like she was here because she refused to leave – Puff had property back in the US.”
Johnson sought South African citizenship, saying she had considered moving here just like Tina Turner did to Paris.