- Yahneake Sterling and Howard Campbell

Several popular Jamaicans died in 2006. The Gleaner reflects on how they touched our lives and the lasting legacy they have bequeathed to generations past and present.

Bennett-Coverley, Louise (86):

MISS LOU

Had her final curtain call on July 26. One of the most influential figures in Jamaican culture and a champion of Jamaican Creole, she cleared the way for others by demonstrating that the native tongue was a bona fide medium of significant art.

Miss Lou's multifaceted talent was reflected in her creative poetry, lyrical compositions, stagecraft and work in the media, in Jamaica and overseas. Among her most memorable productions were the Lou and Ranny Show, Auntie Roachie Seh, her radio programmes and the long-running children's show on television, Ring Ding.

Berbick, Trevor (54):

BERBICK

The former World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight champion was killed in a domestic dispute in the quiet district of Norwich, Portland, in eastern Jamaica, on October 28. Berbick gained fame in the early 1980s after defeating Pinklon Thomas for the WBC title. He was the last boxer to have defeated the legendary Muhammad Ali.

Berbick fought for Jamaica at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. He defended his heavyweight title only once, losing to the emerging Mike Tyson in late 1986.

BARBER-WOOD

Barber-Wood, Gwyneth (60): Jamaican poet who died in November. She was a regular contributor to The Sunday GleanerArts section. Her first collection, The Garden of Forgetting, was published by Peepal Tree Press (Leeds, England) in 2005; a second collection is due out in 2007.

DaCOSTA

DaCosta, Norman (59): Veteran trade unionist who died at his home in Cocoa Walk, near Cross Keys in Manchester, on November 17. DaCosta was a stalwart of the trade union movement for more than 25 years.

He held various positions in the National Workers Union, including vice-president.

DACRES

Dacres, Desmond Adolphus, a.k.a. Desmond Dekker(64): One of the true pioneers of reggae. He died of a heart attack in London, England, on May 25.

The ska artiste, who was born on July 17, 1941, in Jamaica, died in the United Kingdom. A former winner of the National Popular Song competition in 1968, Dekker was described as the best-known Jamaican musician outside of Jamaica before the ascent of Bob Marley in the '70s.

He will forever be remembered for the ground-breaking song, Israelites, which broke into the British and American national charts in 1969. Dekker and his backup group, The Aces, had other notable hits, including U-N-I-T-Y and (007) Shantytown.

Dowe

Dowe, Brent (59): Lead singer of The Melodians, one of the many rocksteady harmony groups of the 1960s. He died on January 29 after suffering a heart attack at his Kingston home.

PERRY

Henzell, Perry (70):Legendary film-maker, best known for his low-budget urban film, The Harder They Come, in 1972. Henzell, the son of an Antiguan father and Trinidadian mother, died on November 30, one day before his film, No Place Like Home, was to be shown at the Flashpoint Film Festival which opened in Negril, Westmoreland.

Although he wrote several other screenplays, Perry Henzell is synonymous with The Harder They Come, the sensational drama that made a superstar out of reggae singer Jimmy Cliff, who played the lead role of Ivan 'Rhygin' Martin. The film helped introduce Jamaican pop culture to an international audience.

HEWITT

Hewitt, Christine (42):

Christine Hewitt was Jamaica's version of the shock jock, much in the mould of Howard Stern in the United States. Hewitt, who gained notoriety as host of the adult television show, 'Man Talk', was murdered on June 29 in St. Catherine.

Also a public relations practitioner and stage-show promoter, she died two months after she announced she would be entering representational politics.

HILL

Hill, Joseph(57): Lead vocalist of reggae group Culture, who died on August 19. He began his career in 1972 as a percussionist with the Soul Defenders from Linstead, St. Catherine. His first recording was an unforgettable track called Picture on the Wall with Freddie McKoy.

Hill died in Berlin, Germany. He was author of some of reggae's most enduring songs, such as Two Sevens Clash, I'm Not Ashamed and Natty Never Get Weary.

Johnson,Bari (78): Respected actor and social activist who passed away in May. A former senior editor at the then Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (now TVJ), Johnson is remembered for the role he played in the popular Pantomime Queenie's Daughter, his production of the teen programme 'Rappin', and his last acting role in the hit local soap opera, Royal Palm Estate.

Johnson, who appeared in numerous theatre and television productions, died of complications from a stroke.

He was a member of the Royal Air Force in World War II. At the time of his death, he was a leading figure in the Jamaica Legion which, among other things, organised the annual Poppy Appeal which raised money for Jamaican ex-servicemen.

KING

King, Peter (64): Noted Jamaican ambassador who served the country from 1961 untll death. He is most remembered for his long service as a public servant who has represented Jamaica in crucial negotiations, particularly on trade issues. King was murdered at his St. Andrew home on March 20.

Lewis

Lewis, Neville (76): Former Minister of Social Security and Local Government who died on December 30 in Miami, Florida.

Mr. Lewis was also Member of Parliament for North West St. Elizabeth from 1976-93.

McFarlane, Vincent (92): Served as the country's high commissioner to Canada from 1965 to 1970. He died on March 11, in Toronto, Canada. He was integrally involved with the Jamaica/Canada Domestic Scheme and particularly the Seasonal Farm Workers Programme, which began in 1966.

Madden Sr., Ferdinand: A standard bearer of the funeral home sector who died on March 28. He was former head of Madden's funeral home, the leading choice for the bereaved in Jamaica for several decades.

Matalon, Vernon (72): Illustrious businessman who died on March 26. At the time of his death, Matalon was the chief executive officer of the Industrial Commercial Development Limited (ICD), and chairman of Uni-Motors (now Toyota Jamaica) and Facey Commodity.

Planno, Mortimo St. George (75): Mortimo Planno was a giant in Jamaica's Rastafarian movement. He died at the University Hospital of the West Indies on March 5.

Planno was a mentor to a generation of youth who embraced Rastafarianism in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s. He was the Rastafarian member of a fact-finding government delegation to Africa in the early 1960s; the photo of him standing beside Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I on the plane steps shortly after Selassie arrived in Kingston on April 21, 1966, is an iconic image.

He was one of the founding members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Jamaica and also a founding member of the Rastafari Movement Association.

PRINGLE

Pringle, John (81): Jamaica's first director of tourism and former deputy high commissioner to the United Kingdom died on December 12 in London, England. The 81-year-old pioneer, who was credited as the 'Father of Modern Tourism', lost a long battle with the debilitating Alzheimer's disease. Pringle was founder of the highly acclaimed Round Hill Hotel and Villas - the first resort of its kind in the Caribbean.

"He is the man who really established 'Brand Jamaica'," said former Minister of Tourism and cousin of the former director, Ambassador Frank Pringle. "He is the man who placed Jamaica firmly and for the first time on the front page of the international tourism map."

Sterling

Sterling, George: A stalwart in Jamaican cricket and the construction industry who died on May 19 at the Medical Associates Hospital in St. Andrew.

He managed Jamaica's successful Red Stripe Cup teams of the mid-1980s and also worked alongside Minister of Construction, Anthony Spaulding, during the 1970s.

THOMAS

Thomas, Ruddy (54): Singer/studio engineer who died on June 10 while performing as part of the National Song Contest in Port Antonio, Portland. Thomas was best known for his 1977 cover of singer Dobby Dobson's song, Loving Pauper.

WALKER

Walker, Cornelius (55): Superintendent of the Area Four Police Division who died on September 3. He was a 30-year veteran of the force.

WILLOUGHBY

Willoughby, Neville (69): Veteran broadcast journalist who died on December 20 following a motor vehicle accident along Molynes Road, St. Andrew.

A graduate of Jamaica College and the University of Toronto, Willoughby began his career at Radio Jamaica in the 1950s but moved to the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation a decade later. He returned to Radio Jamaica in 1969 and had been there ever since.

During his years as a broadcaster, Mr. Willoughby had several radio programmes, including the popular 'Pipeline', for adults, and 'The Colgate Cavity Fighters Club', for kids, where he was known as 'Uncle Neville'.

Willoughby is well known for his interview with Bob Marley, conducted in 1973, before Marley's rise to fame. He also sang two hit singles and authored the book Jamaica Boy. Willoughby played a lead role in the annual Pantomime in the 1963/64 season.

WINT

Wint,Barry: Former chief medical officer (CMO) in the Ministry of Health, who died on September 7. Dr. Wint served as CMO at the ministry between 1992 and 2006, was awarded the Order of Distinction, and as health adviser to the Caribbean Community Secretariat from 1998-2000.

A stalwart in the medical field, Dr. Wint served as honorary lecturer in the Department of Community Health at the University from 1999 to the time of his death. He also served as a consultant with the Pan American Health Organisation, United Nations Children's Fund, and the Centers for Disease Control.