Mighty Sparrow, the King of Calypso, has died at 91

Slinger Francisco, known to the world as the Mighty Sparrow, has died at the age of 91.

His daughter, Karen Francisco, announced his death in a statement on Facebook, as reported by the Jamaica Observer and other Caribbean outlets. The family said he "died peacefully surrounded by family" on 27 September 2026 in New York, after a brief illness. The statement described him as "Trinidad and Tobago's Calypso icon." The New York Times reported that he died at a hospital in Queens.

A life in calypso

Francisco was born on 9 July 1935 in Grand Roy, Grenada, and moved to Trinidad as a toddler. His breakthrough came in 1956 with "Jean and Dinah," which won him both the Carnival Road March and the Calypso King title in the same year.

What followed was one of the longest reigns in Caribbean music. He won the Calypso King, later Calypso Monarch, crown eight times between 1956 and 1992, took eight Road March titles, and was twice named Calypso King of Kings. Songs like "Dan Is the Man," "Congo Man," "Obeah Wedding" and "Mr. Walker" mixed sharp social and political commentary with humour. Across a career of roughly 70 years he wrote more than 500 calypsos and released more than 70 albums.

He settled in New York in the 1960s and became part of the Caribbean diaspora scene in Brooklyn and Queens while keeping his base in Trinidad. His honours include an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies (1987), the Order of the Caribbean Community (2001), the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (2014) and an OBE (2015).

Tributes and a state funeral

Trinidadian politician Stuart Young called him "a true legend" and the "Calypso King of the World," the Jamaica Observer reported. Ainsley King, president of the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians' Organisation, called him a giant whose contribution could not be measured by titles or recordings alone, according to the Los Angeles Times.

On 1 October, Trinidad and Tobago's Minister of Culture and Community Development, Michelle Benjamin, told the House of Representatives that the government would give Sparrow an official state-assisted funeral, with arrangements "fit for a legend," News Americas reported. We will update this story when funeral details are confirmed.

ADMC sends its condolences to his family, friends and the calypso community.