DUBAI: The air was dank but the crowd – a mix of Filipinos on their weekend paciando, European tourists and locals in their Conduras – did not mind.
There was a lot of guitar riffing going on. Psychedelic hues covered the stage. A rock concert was in progress.
People started cramming to where the music was coming from to see the guys playing, pretty much like a scene in the fairy tale Pied Piper, though this time there was no pipe.
Instead there was a Fender Stratocaster and a towering, lanky, gray-haired man in leather jackets with deep-set eyes half closed, singing: “Beep beep beep beep! Ang sabi ng tsuper ng dyippppp.”
Music indeed is universal, for despite Joey “Pepe” Smith’s Tagalog lyrics, people gyrated, swang their heads and stomped their feet in what had been an evening in April 2015 when his music reverberated across the world at Global Village.
The cookie crumbled and rock legend Joey “Pepe” Smith, has passed on at the age of 71.
Facebook newsfeeds were flooded with the word on Monday, January 28 – one of the founding fathers of Pinoy Rock is dead.
Smith’s death was confirmed by his daughters Daisy and Sanya through their social media accounts, reports said.
Daisy’s Facebook post reads: “Thank you for everything papa bear ko. Thank you for being the best dad in the world. I know you’re in the best place now, no more pains papa. I will see you in few days. I love you to the moon and back.”
Sanya, for her part, posted a photo of her hugging Smith.
Smith was reportedly rushed to the hospital at 7:30 am that day.
Further details about Smith’s death are yet to be announced, but it can be recalled that he suffered his third stroke back in 2017 which left him with a speech impediment, said news reports.
In April 2015, Smith visited the UAE and performed at a concert in Global Village in partnership with The Filipino Times.
Smith is known for being a member of the iconic rock band Juan dela Cruz who were behind the hit OPM songs “Balong Malalim”, “Beep Beep”, “No Touch”, and “Himig Natin”.
