A longtime member of the Oak Bluffs summer community has died from complications of Covid-19.

Gary A. Jenkins, an entertainment attorney who lived in Scarsdale, N.Y., died in New York on March 29 after contracting the virus. Mr. Jenkins had summered on the Vineyard for more than half a century. He was 58.

He was of counsel to Pappalardo & Pappalardo, LLP of Scarsdale, according to the law firm’s website. A graduate of Princeton University and Columbia Law School, early in his career he clerked for the Hon. Bernard Fuchs of the Kings County Civil and Supreme Court, and worked as a government housing specialist.

In 1990, he was named general manager emeritus of Uptown/MCA, an urban boutique independent label, where his clients included platinum artists Mary J. Blige, Notorious B.I.G, Jodeci, Guy, the late Heavy D, and Al B.Sure!.

At some point along the way he earned the nickname Alexander the Great.

He was also one of the early mentors to Sean (P.Diddy) Combs, and served as a music supervisor on the film Strictly Business, which featured Oscar winner Halle Berry in her first feature film role.

On March 15, as the coronavirus pandemic was just beginning to unfold on the Vineyard, Mr. Jenkins posted a comment on a story that ran on the Gazette website, as part of a conversation thread about summer residents seeking shelter in their Vineyard homes.

The comment follows:

“As an attorney, I am trained to view both sides of an argument with respect, and to assess the validity and merit of each. As a lifelong summer resident of the island (52 years), I do in fact see merit in both positions expressed on this thread. To those voicers who expressed a concern about an early influx of seasonal residents over burdening the island’s health care system before the increased summer staffing of medical personnel occurs, there is some merit in this position. Similarly, to those seeking to leave the big city and seek social distancing at their summer home on MV where there is literally more room to breathe, it is their absolute right to do so as tax paying property owners. This entire discussion reminds of a Twilight Zone episode I remember where once the street lights began to flicker out of control and the machinery turned off and on by itself for no apparent reason, the once friendly neighbors became suspicious of each other and literally were at each other’s throats. As the aliens behind the chaos said in their epilogue, humans are easily turned from loving, caring creatures into hateful monsters simply by inserting some angst and insecurity into their lives. This is not the time to attack each other; our beloved Island needs to prepare for the coming storm, as the corona virus will surely impact its shores, just as the seasonal residents must make sure we are not carriers of the virus before we return. We must remain neighborly and courteous and continue to love each other in the wake of this terrible scourge; if not, we risk losing our humanity, and the corona virus will be the least of our worries.”

He is survived by his wife Maria and their two sons, his brother Dr. Wallace Jenkins and mother Marie Jenkins.