Living legend laid to rest

Extempo exponent and Coleman’s avid follower, Willard Harris (Lord Relator), who paid his respects as Coleman was given his final rights at Belgroves Funeral Chapel, Tacarigua, yesterday, questioned why the organisations, which claim they were supporting artistes, forget about them.

“I remember Fitzroy as a very humble person and down to earth, caring and always willing to help to teach the younger ones to follow in his footsteps,” Harris said.

“His talent was not widely known and that is a mystery, but he made a great contribution and was rated fourth in the world.

“Trinidad and Tobago does not want to honour their heroes for whatever reason, I don’t know.

This is an icon, a first class player that is lying down there. Where is TUCO? Where is COTT, on this day? That is the question that I am putting to you. These people are taken for granted in this country. There are people on the outside that recognise him more than here because he was rated number four in the world in the DownBeat Magazine,” Harris said.

There were very few people who showed up to wish a final farewell to Coleman. There may have been about 25 persons.

Coleman was a widower with no children.

Carlson Kerr, welfare officer of TUCO, said they were “unaware” of when Coleman’s funeral was scheduled for.

“We would have had more representation on our side if we knew the date of the funeral.

We would do much more in the future to remind people of his contribution. We never fail to give people recognition. We have been doing our best as much as we can,” he said.

Kerr claimed that they had been trying to keep in touch with persons handling the funeral arrangements. “We in TT do not honour our artistes and give them the respect that we ought to do,” he saidNyan Gadsby-Dolly, Minister of Community Development, Culture and the Arts, said neither she nor her ministry was aware of Coleman’s death.

When asked whether the Government will consider ways in which Coleman will be honoured, Gadsby-Dolly said, “That is something we can examine and look at his contribution and see what can be done.”