Soca Star Ricardo Drue Has Died After Being Found Unresponsive

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -Trinidad and Tobago Tourism, Culture and Arts Minister, Randall Mitchell, on Tuesday praised the Antigua-born Soca artiste and songwriter Ricardo Drue for his contribution to local and international culture. Drue, 38, died at Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre in Antigua after he had been found unconscious and unresponsive. The cause of death has not been made public.

Drue dominated the Soca Monarch and Road March competitions here and had a large following across the region. Among his hit tunes were Vagabond and Professional.

He was engaged to Trinidad and Tobago soca sensation Patrice Roberts.

On her Instagram page, Roberts posted a video of her and Drue with the comment, “I’d do anything to hear your voice, wake up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“The Soca fraternity and indeed the Carnival community have suffered a great loss with his passing.  His years of work as an entertainer have undoubtedly helped to spread the soca genre across the world and brought happiness to many. He certainly will not be forgotten,” said Mitchell.

He said that Drue, whose mother is a Trinidad and Tobago-born media worker, was a frontline singer for the popular local A-Team Band and also performed with other Trinidad and Tobago bands, Imij and Co and D’All Starz.

He was also an opening act for artists such as Jeffrey Osbourne, Mario, Fat Joe, Sean Kinston, Llyod, Machel Montano and Barbadian Allison Hinds, before embarking on a solo career in  2010, with the release of two albums “Dreams of my Reality” and “MYTIME”

In August 2014 he won the Power Soca Monarch of Antigua & Barbuda.