The Calypso community is now mourning the loss of veteran entertainer and composer, Winston “The Original De Fosto Himself” Scarborough.
Mere days after paying tribute to fellow Calypso legend, Winston “Mighty Shadow” Bailey at his funeral, the calypsonion suffered a heart attack this morning. He was 64.
According to T&T Guardian, “He had been battling heart disease and was hospitalised several times in recent months due to the condition.”
De Fosto overcame many of life’s challenges, starting his life as an abandoned baby, who grew up in an orphanage in Tacarigua, Trinidad. Later becoming a main stay at Calypso competitions and Calypso tents.
He has written numerous calypsos, but is.famously known for his Panorama winning steelpan compositions, such as Four Lara Four (co-written with the late Merchant), Firestorm, Pan Lamentation, and Pandora and War.
Though DeFosto never won the National Calypso Monarch title, his legacy as a prolific composer, performer and cultural ambassador lives on.