Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 6-18-19

Feature
Tampa-Born ‘Bishop Bullwinkle’ Dies Of Reported Heart Attack
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Bishop Bullwinkle visited the Sentinel staff in late March.
Bernard Thomas, better known as Bishop Bullwinkle, is dead at 70 years old. The Floridian pastor, singer and comedian, is best known for the viral song Hell 2 Da Naw Naw.
Bishop Bullwinkle, identi- fied as the King of Comedy in Southern Soul, has appeared in several popular videos performing the song, one of which has 37 mil- lion views from his official YouTube channel.
His death was confirmed by his family on Sunday, June 16, 2019 (Father’s Day) on his Facebook page.
“It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our father Bishop Bullwinkle. He has booked his show in Heaven to perform for our Heavenly Father and for once, he couldn’t be late.
BERNARD THOMAS ... ‘Bishop Bullwinkle’
We love u sir and please book us the VIP room for us when we meet again,” it read.
While his cause of death is yet to be confirmed, it is being re- ported that Bishop Bullwinkle may have died from a heart attack.
In addition to Hell to Da Naw, Naw, Bullwinkle’s Preacher had thousands of YouTube hits. As of January 17, 2019, a video of the song attracted over 32 million views and 236,000 likes. Another video has attracted almost 37 mil- lion views and over 275,000 likes.
For the past few years, sports show hosts have used the Hell to Da Naw, Naw on their shows. Jeff Cameron, an announcer for ESPN Radio in Tallahassee is one of those.
Bishop Bullwinkle was last in the Sentinel on Friday, March 29, 2019, when he advertised his “Live” event at the Touch of Class in Bradenton on March 30th.
According to Wikipedia, Bull- winkle was born in Tampa on August 22, 1948.
Local
Mayor Appoints Director Of Strategic Initiatives
Continuing her transition into office, Mayor Jane Castor has hired an individual to serve as her Director of Strategic Initiatives. Ms. Marley Wilkes will assume duties that include tracking and executing Mayor Cas- tor’s strategic initiatives that she campaigned on.
“Marley is a consummate professional with years of experience executing major projects, building non-profits and running campaigns,” said Mayor Jane Castor.
“Marley will be a pivotal player in my ad- ministration and an absolute asset to the entire city.”
Ms. Wilkes said, “I couldn’t be more ex- cited to join this dynamic team Mayor Castor is assembling.”
“Tampa is on the precipice of something truly remarkable and I am honored to be a part of this journey.”
Ms. Wilkes brings to the position nearly
MARLEY WILKES
two decades of political experience working with campaigns, national and state political committees, investor alliances, and non-profit organizations. She has worked for U. S. Sena- tors, Presidential candidates, Governor’s cam- paigns, and Congressional campaigns.
Recognized for her work in recruiting can- didates and developing campaigns to support them, Ms. Wilkes has directly assisted with the elections of over 75 women.
Years of working in Florida politics success- fully has afforded her the opportunity to build and nurture literally thousands of donor and political relationships with individuals, elected officials, allies and organizations. She is sought after for her advice and consult in the areas of public affairs, civic engagement, business de- velopment, and general campaigning.
Ms. Wilkes has lived in Tampa for nearly 30 years and holds a B. A. in Political Science from the University of South Florida.
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