NEW YORK, New York — Slinger Francisco, the Grenada-born singer and songwriter who carried Trinidad and Tobago’s calypso tradition around the world as the Mighty Sparrow, died Sunday in New York. He was 91.
Francisco died peacefully with family members around him after a brief illness, according to a family statement reported by The Associated Press. The family did not disclose further medical details.
Born July 9, 1935, in Grand Roy, Grenada, Francisco moved to Trinidad and Tobago as a young child. His 1956 breakthrough, “Jean and Dinah,” helped launch a career that made him one of calypso’s most recognized voices.
Over more than seven decades, Francisco recorded more than 500 songs and 70 albums, according to Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Culture and Community Development. He won the Calypso King or Monarch title eight times and the Carnival Road March title eight times, using wit, political commentary and vivid storytelling to document Caribbean life for audiences far beyond the region.
Francisco’s honors included Trinidad and Tobago’s Order of the Republic, the country’s highest national award, as well as the Order of the Caribbean Community and an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of the West Indies.
Funeral and public memorial arrangements had not been announced early Monday.