Dominic “Papadom” Gamboa of reggae band Tropical Depression died on Wednesday December 18, according to the Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM).
Gamboa’s family have yet to disclose the details regarding the wake and the cause of the singer’s death, although a newspaper report said he died of kidney failure.
Gamboa would have turned 48 a day after his death. He is the founding member and vocalist of the ’90s reggae band Tropical Depression, known for incorporating Philippine indigenous instruments with its music.
Gamboa started his musical career as one of the members of a short-lived punk band called Absolute Zero. He became more well-known as the frontman of the seminal punk band Betrayed. He later moved on to front The Skavengers where he popularized “Hoy Juan” that became a cult classic among fans.
In Tropical Depression he established his niche for most of the 1990s. Among the albums the band recorded in various incarnations are “Kapayapaan”, “Aabot Din Tayo” and “Paraisong Pinangako”. Their best known song is “Kapayapaan,” the song which best exemplifies Gamboa’s inclination for writing socially conscious songs similar to his reggae hero, Bob Marley.
