Fans of the Mighty Sparrow lined up in their numbers at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA) on Tuesday to pay their last respects to the man described as “larger than life” and a “talented son of the soil”.
The long lines at the San Fernando venue presented a snapshot of the impact that Slinger Francisco, The Mighty Sparrow, had on the cultural fabric of Trinidad and Tobago and the immense love for his music and career.
Sparrow’s second-born son, Tony Francisco, said coping with his father’s passing has been emotional but that he is comforted by the legacy his father left to the world. He said he will always treasure the time spent with his father while on tour.
“He had a big heart, and he gave a lot. I thank the public for embracing him and for being part of their living room, their music. He touched everybody’s lives in different ways.”
For Allison Britto-Bernard, the opportunity to pay her respects was something she could not pass up.
“Sparrow is a national treasure. Outstanding personality, gifted, extraordinary. He had talents that we can’t even begin to appreciate as much as we should have. But I’m appreciative of the gifts he had and he brought for us and we have to honour him and to respect and recognise what he has done for us. He took the name of Trinidad and Tobago around the world. He waved the red, white and black around the world. So thank you to Sparrow.”
Curtis Bernard said he has been a fan of the Mighty Sparrow for many years and has always loved his music.
“I’m about to be 63 next couple of weeks, and I grew up hearing it on the radio, so you’re talking about over 50 years of listening to Sparrow’s music, enjoying it and then understanding some of the double entendre that he sung. It was only as you got older that you understood, ‘Hey, that’s what he meant’. Sparrow, to me, is like the Bob Marley of calypso. Bob Marley, I’m a big Bob Marley fan, and he’s dead nearly 40 years and I’m still listening to his music. I’ll be 90 and still listening to Sparrow without a doubt.”
The body of the late Slinger Francisco, The Mighty Sparrow, will lie in repose at the National Academy for the Performing Arts tomorrow, Wednesday, October 14th, from 10am to 6pm.
The Calypso King of the World will be honoured with a national farewell organised through the Ministry of Culture and Community Development on Friday, October 16th, 2026.