UPDATE: How did Trinidad’s famed mas leader Wayne Berkeley die?

When I broke the story yesterday afternoon on the passing of legendary Mas leader Wayne Berkeley and sent it to the Trinidad Guardian and Trinidad Express, I was flooded with the common question, how did he die?

Well I had the opportunity to speak to a relative who wanted to clear up the errors that were printed in a lot of the newspapers.

This is what they confirmed:
“Wayne Kenneth Berkeley was born to Irlena & Kenneth Berkeley in 1940 in Belmont.
He suffered his first and massive stroke on 17th February 2000. Between then to now, he had a few mild ones (strokes) which he recovered from. Three weeks ago he suffered a fairly moderate stroke and was taken to the St. Clair Medical Center. He became paralyzed but his brain was quite functional,and was discharged 3 days later. The doctors said all that we could do was provide comfort and he would recover on his own. He developed bedsores that grew from the size of a 10cent piece to the size of his entire back within a day. He then started refusing to eat or to take his prescribed medications. Yesterday the doctors said he would last 2-3 more days as his breathing was severely laboured, and he was unaware of his surroundings. He passed away at 6:30pm, at the family home in Belmont.”

The relative went on to say, “He has 3 brothers, he was the eldest… then Oswald who lives in Canada, Eldon (who also suffered a massive stroke which he hasn’t recovered) and Cletus. Two of his four aunts are still alive; 1 will be 100 this month, and the other turned 98 in March. Wayne, was never married to anything but his art and his love for horses and fine dining.”

From the sounds of it, his last days were painful but Mr. Berkeley did indeed live a full, rewarding and celebrated life.

RIP.

Read the original story and Wayne Berkeley’s bio HERE