Niece: Many shunned him

Marva Sheppard, delivering a brief, emotional tribute at Lewis’ funeral service at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portof- Spain, eulogised her uncle as a people’s person but claimed that many had scoffed at the calypsonian as he battled with drug addiction.

“This has been tearing me up,” she declared to mourners, who included President of the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation Brother Resistance (Lutalo Masimba), composer Alvin Daniel and calypsonian Relator (Willard Harris), who edged out King Austin to win the 1980 Calypso Monarch competition.

Sheppard said no man is without fault. “Let us look within ourselves because in everyone there is good,” she said.

“He has given us a legacy in music that none of us can surpass. To me, he is a king.” Known for his classic song, ‘Progress’, a Winsford “Joker” Devine composition, King Austin,73, passed away at the Portof- Spain General Hospital, last Saturday, after a six-year battle with Alzheimer’s’s Disease.

His funeral service yesterday featured a virtual who’s who in the local calypso and entertainment fraternity, many of whom shared stories of their interactions with him during his hey day in calypso and more recently, on the Brian Lara Promenade, Independence Square, Port-of-Spain, where the calypsonian often held court.

Calypsonian and former Government minister Winston “Gypsy” Peters said ‘Progress’ was one of the greatest songs ever made.

However, he regarded as unfortunate Sheppard’s claims about the perceived negative manner in which Austin was treated by those in fraternity and others.

“That is not quite true.

But you know people can get very emotional in times like these,” he told Newsday.

Peters claimed that many calypsonians had been lending a helping hand to King Austin.

“Nobody had forgotten him,” he said.

Reflecting on Austin’s personal battles over the years, Peters said calypsonians must ensure that they invest wisely during their productive years.

While he acknowledged that not all calypsonians will be successful, with some likely to “fall through the cracks,” Peters suggested there should be some mechanism in place to assist those who slip into a state of dependency.

Earlier, during the funeral service, Austin’s son, Marvin, said music was his father’s passion.

He said although his father was never an outstanding student academically, “he went on to achieve things people only dream of.

“He made people sing along and touched the hearts and minds of people before him and and for generations to come,” Marvin said.

Regarding his father’s substance abuse, which he said was “no secret,” Marvin waxed philosophical.

“I would say that life is something that nobody could teach you. Sometimes you make right and wrong decisions,” he told listeners.

Following the funeral service, TUCO President, Lutalo Masimba (Brother Resistance) said the organisation was devising strategies to assist ailing calypsonians and others who have fallen on hard times.