Calypso Icon Slinger Francisco, Dubbed ‘The Mighty Sparrow,’ Dies at 91, His Family Says
- On Sunday, September 27, 2026, the family of Slinger Francisco, known globally as The Mighty Sparrow, announced the legendary calypsonian died in New York at age 91 following a brief illness.
- Born in Grenada, Francisco moved to Trinidad as a child, launching a career spanning more than seven decades that established him as a defining figure in Caribbean music and culture.
- Known as the Calypso King of the World, Francisco won Trinidad and Tobago's Calypso Monarch title eight times and received an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of the West Indies in 1987.
- The Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation called him 'a defining voice of our culture,' noting his music helped elevate calypso from Trinidad and Tobago to the global stage.
- His family remembered him as a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, revealing he embraced Christianity in his final days by joining the Seventh-day Adventist faith and making "his election sure.
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The Seattle TimesCalypso icon Slinger Francisco, dubbed ‘The Mighty Sparrow,’ dies at 91, his family says
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — Calypso music lost one of its most emblematic voices Sunday with the death of Slinger Francisco, who was known on stage as the Mighty Sparrow and dubbed the “Calypso King of the World.” He was 91. Francisco, who got his breakthrough in calypso music with his 1956 hit song “Jean and...
Calypso icon Slinger Francisco, dubbed ‘The Mighty Sparrow,’ dies at 91, his family says – WTOP News
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — Calypso music lost one of its most emblematic voices Sunday with the death of Slinger Francisco, who was known on stage as the Mighty Sparrow and dubbed the “Calypso King of the World.” He was 91. Francisco, who got his breakthrough in calypso music with his 1956 hit song “Jean and...
Calypso icon Slinger Francisco, dubbed 'The Mighty Sparrow,'
FILE - Calypso star, Slinger Francisco, otherwise known as 'The Mighty Sparrow,' right, celebrates his 70th birthday dancing calypso with Caribbean community leader Jean Alexander at a reception in his honor in the Brooklyn borough of New York, July 29, 2005. (AP Photo/Jennifer Szymaszek, File)
Calypso icon Slinger Francisco, dubbed 'The Mighty Sparrow,' dies at 91, his family says
Calypso music has lost one of its most emblematic voices with the death of Slinger Francisco, who was known on stage as the Mighty Sparrow and dubbed the “Calypso King of the World.”.
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