Shock death of Ricardo Drue

Antiguan soca star Ricardo Drue died suddenly yesterday, sending shockwaves throughout the region.

The A Team band lead singer was found unresponsive in his room in Antigua yesterday morning, band manager Zarin Morean told the Express yesterday.

Drue, 38, was reportedly pronounced dead around noon at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre in St John’s, Antigua.

The “Vagabond” singer, who was based in T&T, was reportedly on the island visiting family.

“Yes, it is true. I got a call from Antigua this morning telling me he was found unresponsive in his room,” Morean said.

Drue, who spent his childhood in Cocoyea, San Fernando, Trinidad, was the fiancé of soca star Patrice Roberts. He was due to wed the Toco-born singer next year, after proposing on stage in Antigua last July. The couple are parents to a five-year-old girl named Lily.

Roberts, who released the duet “Toxic Love” with Drue in 2021, shared her grief over losing her life partner on social media yesterday. She was reportedly live on air, on radio, when she learnt of Drue’s passing yesterday.

“I’d do anything to hear your voice…wake up!” Roberts wrote on Instagram.

Drue got his start in music with R&B/hip hop vocal quartet Crossovah. He co-founded the musical group with classmates while attending Timber Creek High School in Orlando, Florida, USA. In 2010 he left Crossovah to pursue a career in soca music.

Untimely passing

Four years later he won the Power Soca Monarch of Antigua and Barbuda. He was later invited to join the frontline of legendary soca band Roy Cape and the All Stars alongside the late soca star Blaxx (Dexter Stewart).

Drue was best known by soca fans for his 2015 Carnival hit “Vagabond” which earned him second place at the International Soca Monarch Groovy Soca finals in Trinidad that year.

A Team Band band took to social media to offer condolences to Roberts and Drue’s family in a Facebook post, yesterday. The band’s musicians are said to be in “shock and disbelief” over his sudden passing.

“Our hearts are heavy with shock and disbelief as we mourn the untimely passing of Ricardo Drue, a cherished member of the A Team band and our dear brother and friend. We struggle to come to terms with this immense loss, as Ricardo’s vibrant spirit and undeniable talent touched the lives of so many. May his legacy live on through the beautiful music he shared with the world. Rest in peace, Ricardo, we love you,” the band shared yesterday.