DJ Franco joins soca world in mourning death of Ricardo Drue
Antiguan soca star was invested in carnival in Jamaica
Published:Wednesday | December 13, 2023 | 12:10 AMYasmine Peru/Senior Gleaner Writer
The soca world is holding hands with superstar Patrice Roberts as she mourns the death of her fiancé and the father of her seven-year-old daughter, Ricardo Drue. A soca star and former soca monarch from Antgua and Barbuda, Drue was a Caribbean man musically and was invested in making carnival big in Jamaica.
Soca music ambassador DJ Franco told The Gleaner that he was “shocked, saddened and at a loss for words” upon hearing of Drue’s sudden passing. He last saw Drue in May at an event in Antigua, and prior to that, he connected with the Vagabond singer in Jamaica.
“At the event in Jamaica this year, he even performed the song Tornado, which he has a remix with Ding Dong. Actually, he had told me that the song was picking up in Jamaica first and he wanted to do a remix with a local artiste, and since I am aligned to Romeich Entertainment, I sugested Ding,” DJ Franco shared.
DJ Franco, whose real name is Francis Asiedu, recalled that while he was studying at The University of the West Indies, St Augustine campus, Drue was one of the first artistes to believe in him and support his disc jockeying ambitions and would give him music. He also hailed Drue for his commitment to carnival in Jamaica.
“He always performed at Bacchanal... no Jamaica Carnival season nuh miss him. He was locked in and invested in the development of carnival in Jamaica,” DJ Franco said.
He added, “I am in shock and disbelief ... he was young and active ... but 2023 has been a tough year all around. The soca community is saddened. He took a vested interest in Jamaica, and it is sad to see such an ally pass. Condolences to his kids, Patrice, his family and his Antigua family.”
Reports are that on Tuesday afternoon, 38-year-old Drue was rushed to the Lester Bird Hospital in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, after being found unresponsive. However, doctors there pronounced him dead.
In an impassioned post on social media on Tuesday, Roberts poured out her love and disbelief. “I do anything to hear your voice ... wake up !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
It was in July last year that Drue and Roberts got engaged in a public forum. Drue got down on one knee after his performance at the Druesday Carnival show in Antigua and asked his longtime partner for her hand in marriage. She said yes.
The antiguanewsroom.com reported that “ news of [Drue’s] passing has left family members and members of the entertainment fraternity in shock, with many gathering at the hospital for support and to mourn the loss of the beloved artiste”.
According to his bio, Ricardo Drue was born on July 31, 1985, in Antigua. Growing up in a musical family, he realised quite early that music was his passion. Influenced by soca, reggae, R&B and hip-hop music, in 2006 Drue became the lead singer of Crossovah, a dance and vocal quartet. Crossovah became known internationally after being the opening act for recording artistes such as Jeffery Osborne, Fat Joe, Sean Kingston, Red Rat, TOK, Patrice Roberts, Allison Hinds, Destra, Machel Montano, and many more.
He broke away from Crossovah in 2010 to focus on a solo career. In 2011 he became the co-lead singer of the Roy Cape All Stars band in Trinidad and Tobago, and in 2012 became a brand ambassador for Digicel Antigua & Barbuda. The year 2013 saw the release of his first studio album, Dreams of My Reality, with the breakthrough single Dreaming.
His sophomore album, My Time, was released the following year, and by 2015, Drue had his real breakthrough. He entered Trinidad & Tobago’s International Groovy Soca Monarch competition, where he placed second runner-rp with Vagabond; won Music Video of the Year at the 2015 International Soca Awards; won Breakthrough Artiste of the Year at the COTT Awards; and defended his crown as Antigua & Barbuda’s Power Soca Monarch.