Jamaica Loses Cutural Icon, Rex Nettleford

Hon. Diana Wasserman-Rubin & Prof. Rex Nettleford
Originally uploaded by geoffrey_philp

Jamaican cultural icon, Rex Nettleford, died last night at the George Washington Hospital in Washington DC,USA... one day before his 77th birthday.

He had a heart attack last Wednesday while in Washington, on official university business.

[Professor Rex Nettleford  was Vice-Chancellor Emeritus at the University of the West Indies(UWI), where he has lectured for over 35 years.

He also started the National Dance Theatre Company in 1953. He was awarded the Order of Merit, the third-highest Jamaican National Honour, in 1975.

He is renown for his work on formulating and establishing a Caribbean cultural identity].

He collapsed in his bathroom.

Rex Nettleford was in a coma for about three(3) days, after which he was able to communicate via the squeezing of his loved ones' hands.

As per his wishes that he not be sustained via life support...his life ended yesterday.

He will be offered a State funeral.

He will be missed by Jamaicans at home, in the diaspora and the Caribbean and international community at large.

GWAP Blog wishes condolences to his family  (immediate and those at UWI), friends and associates.

(I would like to thank Geoffrey Philp for the use of his Flickr inset photo above of Professor Nettleford at the 2009 Caribbean American Book and Art Fair).

Gillian

Sources Include

1) Nationwide Radio's "This Morning", February 3,2010

2) News Flash on Television Jamaica, February 2,2010

3) Article,"Rex Nettleford is dead" JamaicaObserver.com, February 2,2010