Mighty Sparrow’s son dies at 40

TRINIDAD EXPRESS – Calypsonian, Sergio Francisco, son of music icon Mighty Sparrow (Slinger Francisco), has died.
FRANCISCO, 40, passed away suddenly on Monday. It was not immediately clear what caused the singer’s death. Those close to him said he tested negative for COVID-19 last week.
“I don’t know exactly what he died from and we don’t want to speculate. We sure it wasn’t COVID because he had a negative test up till last week,” Calypsonian, Shirlane Hendrickson told the Express via phone on Monday afternoon. Francisco, a former National Action Cultural Committee Young Kings Monarch finalist and 20 Stars of Tomorrow honouree, was described by colleagues as a young, bright talent in the genre. Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO) president Brother Resistance (Lutalo Masimba) said the performer was “a brilliant composer” with a “positive future”. “It’s a great loss, especially among our youth who have chosen to go in the direction of our indigenous artform. Sergio to us would have been one of those young bright artistes.
He was a brilliant composer, a man that coulda write all different styles. Certainly, he would have had a real positive future in this artform,” Resistance told the Express during a phone interview. Resistance said Francisco, a regular at the annual Klassic Russo Calypso Tent at City Hall, Port of Spain, always had his support since his emergence on the local music scene at the spoken word showcase Rapso Explosion. “We were always there for him. He was in the Klassic Russo but he was also involved in the rapso movement. He did a Rapso Explosion, I can’t remember the exact year, but he was also talented in that direction,” Resistance said.
Hendrickson, who managed Francisco’s nightly appearances at Klassic Russo, described him as “our big baby”.
“He was our big baby. He was a loving child. He had his challenges but we worked with him. He was a loving baby, he was our Sergio,” Hendrickson said.
STRIKING RESEMBLANCE TO HIS FATHER
She said Francisco bore a “striking resemblance” to his famous father on stage and even had some of his legendary vocal inflections.
“What is so striking is his resemblance to his daddy. It was wow. When he sing those notes and intonations it was like a reincarnation. They really say goat doh make sheep,” Hendrickson said.
Sergio’s older brother, Sancho Francisco, said he wasn’t able to comment on Monday.
“Right now wouldn’t be a good time. I trying to handle some stuff here. So, I gotta go,” Sancho said.
Hendrickson recalled a joke she made with Francisco the last time she saw him a month ago.
“He had grown even bigger and taller. I joked and said ‘boy you getting big like Godzilla’.”