Slinger Francisco, the famous singer known as the Mighty Sparrow, has died at the age of 91. Known to fans as the "calypso king of the world," he passed away peacefully on Sunday surrounded by his family in New York after a brief illness. His death marks the loss of a major cultural figure in calypso, a style of music from Trinidad and Tobago.
Francisco was born in Grenada in 1935 and moved to Trinidad and Tobago with his parents when he was a toddler. He achieved his big music breakthrough in 1956 with his hit song "Jean and Dinah." Over a career spanning six decades, he recorded hundreds of songs and performed internationally, including at New York City's Madison Square Garden.
Throughout his career, Francisco worked to advance calypso music and share it with audiences around the world. Trinidad and Tobago presented him with national awards, and he received an honorary doctorate in 1987. Cultural leaders and historians praised him as a master storyteller and revolutionary artist whose music brought Caribbean culture to the global stage.