Mighty Sparrow, the Trinidad and Tobago singer known as the ‘calypso king of the world’, dies aged 91

The Calypso singer Mighty Sparrow. The performer, born Slinger Francisco, has died aged 91 after a brief illness. Photograph: Max Burkhalter/The GuardianView image in fullscreenThe Calypso singer Mighty Sparrow.

O artista, nascido Slinger Francisco, faleceu aos 91 anos após uma breve doença. Fotografia: Max Burkhalter/The GuardianMusic Mighty Sparrow, o cantor de Trinidad e Tobago conhecido como o 'rei do calypso do mundo', morre aos 91 anos.

Slinger Francisco, que se apresentava como Mighty Sparrow, morreu no domingo cercado pela família em Nova York.

Prefer the Guardian on GoogleSlinger Francisco, known on stage as the Mighty Sparrow and dubbed the “calypso king of the world”, has died aged 91.

Francisco, who got his breakthrough in calypso music with his 1956 hit song Jean and Dinah, died peacefully surrounded by his family in New York on Sunday, his family said in a statement.

Sua morte ocorreu após uma “breve doença”, afirmou a declaração sem revelar outros detalhes.

View image in fullscreenMighty Sparrow performs at the Melkweg in 1989 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Photograph: Frans Schellekens/RedfernsThe Mighty Sparrow will be remembered as “a defining voice of our culture, a master storyteller and a towering figure whose music helped carry calypso from Trinidad and Tobago to the world,” the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation said in a statement.

Born in the coastal town of Grand Roy, Grenada, in July 1935, Francisco was just a toddler when he migrated with his parents to Trinidad and Tobago in 1937.

Trinidad e Tobago é o berço da música calypso, e foi onde surgiu o nome e a persona do Mighty Sparrow, que produziu uma lista de sucessos no gênero: Both of Them, Congo Man, Mr.

Birdie, as Francisco was also affectionately known, recorded hundreds of songs in a career that spanned six decades. He performed in several countries around the world, including at famous venues such as New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

Throughout his career, Francisco’s goal was to advance the calypso art form, according to Dr Rudolph Ottley, a Trinidadian cultural historian and author.

Trinidad and Tobago honrou o compositor e intérprete com prêmios nacionais, e em 1987 a University of the West Indies concedeu a Francisco um doutorado honorário em letras.