{"id":192128,"date":"2023-12-13T10:46:30","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T14:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=192128"},"modified":"2023-12-13T10:46:30","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T14:46:30","slug":"antigua-region-in-disbelief-over-death-of-ricardo-drue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/antigua-region-in-disbelief-over-death-of-ricardo-drue\/","title":{"rendered":"Antigua, region in disbelief over death of Ricardo Drue"},"content":{"rendered":"
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https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/: Ricardo Drue, a\u00a0soca<\/a>\u00a0singer renowned in his native Antigua and Barbuda and among the Caribbean community around the world, died Tuesday. He was 38.<\/p>

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\u201cOn behalf of Ricardo Drue\u2019s fianc\u00e9, children, family and team, thank you for the massive outpouring of love and condolences on the passing of our brother and friend Ricardo Drue,\u201d said a statement posted Tuesday on the artist\u2019s\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0account.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is evident that Ricardo was truly loved and we are consoled knowing that his impact extended worldwide,\u201d the statement continued. \u201cHis sudden passing has left us all shattered and as such we are asking for privacy as we make sense of this devastating loss.\u201d<\/p>

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The family did not include a cause or other details about Drue\u2019s death. In a second statement posted on Drue\u2019s official\u00a0Instagram<\/a>, his family condemned the circulation of a \u201cvery disrespectful\u201d picture and voice note featuring the artist, saying that it \u201ccaused tremendous trauma to his children, fiance, family, friends and team.\u201d<\/p>

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Multiple\u00a0Caribbean<\/a>\u00a0outlets<\/a>\u00a0reported that Drue was found unresponsive Tuesday and was rushed to a hospital in St. John\u2019s, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda. Hours later, Drue\u2019s fianc\u00e9 and fellow soca singer, Patrice Roberts, shared\u00a0a video<\/a>\u00a0on Instagram of the couple sharing a kiss accompanied by several crying emojis.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do anything to hear your voice … wake up,\u201d Roberts captioned the post.<\/p>

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Drue was a father of five. He and Roberts became engaged last year.<\/p>\n

Born in Antigua and Barbuda and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, Drue grew up immersed in R&B, reggae and\u00a0soca<\/a>\u00a0music, a musical style that stems from calypso and\u00a0blends in soul music<\/a>, according to\u00a0Trini Jungle Juice<\/a>.<\/p>

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He started his career performing in soca boy bands and gained acclaim as a finalist in soca music competitions. Drue is probably best known for his 2017 single, \u201cVagabond,\u201d and also opened for fellow vocalists Sean Kingston and Fat Joe.<\/p>

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He often performed across the Caribbean, but also for members of the Caribbean diaspora in the United States. The singer took the stage at festivals in Queens and the <\/span>Bronx<\/a>\u00a0in New York, as well as Raleigh, N.C., and Orlando, Fla., where he reportedly lived in recent years. Over the past year, his popularity rose on streaming platforms and his streams on Spotify grew from 100,000 in 2022 to 1.2 million this year.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

He celebrated the milestone over the weekend with a post on Instagram, sharing screenshots of his Spotify Wrapped statistics,\u00a0writing<\/a>, \u201cWhat is your motivation to fight through it all? Mine is my children!!!! Thank you, guys!! we are just getting starting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne on Tuesday was among those who mourned Drue.<\/p>\n

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