The Antigua and Barbuda community is mourning the loss of beloved singer Ricardo Drue. His team revealed on Instagram that the musician died on Tuesday, December 12, leading to fans flooding the comment section with tributes reminiscing about the singer's musical impact. The official cause of death was not made public at the time of writing this article.
On Wednesday, December 13, Ricardo Drue’s team took to his official Instagram account to thank fans for their love, support, and condolences.
“It is evident that Ricardo was truly loved and we are consoled knowing that his impact extended worldwide. His sudden passing has left us all shattered and as such we are asking for privacy as we make sense of this devastating loss," the post read.
In the following post, they asked fans to not circulate a particular picture and voice memo.
“We find it very disrespectful and we strongly condemn it. The photo and voice note have caused tremendous trauma to his children, fiancé, family, friends and team. We kindly request that this be immediately condemned and disregarded by all," the Instagram post read.
The Caribbean singer was just 38 years old at the time of his passing. Multiple news outlets reported that the artist was found unresponsive and taken to a hospital in Antigua.
Following the tragedy, Drue’s fiancé, Patrice Roberts, took to her official Instagram account to share an image of her kissing the musician. She also wrote in the caption:
“I do anything to hear your voice ,,,, wake up !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Ricardo Drue was the father of five children
The musician was born in Antigua and Barbuda but raised in Trinidad and Tobago. According to Famous Birthday, he has been keenly interested in music since the age of five. This comes after being heavily inspired by R&B, reggae, and soca music, which originates from calypso and is a blend of soul music.
Ricardo Drue entered the music industry by participating in soca music competitions. He was also part of the band Crossovah. After amassing a fan base of his own, he released a series of his own songs.
He is best known for his 2020 track, Vagabond. A few of his other songs include Water Pump, Rub Up on It, and Push Back. The singer also went viral after opening for music sensations Sean Kingston and Fat Joe.
He has since been performing across the Caribbean and has taken his music to the U.S. The singer performed at festivals in the Bronx, New York, Raleigh, North Carolina, and Orlando, Florida.
According to Famous Birthdays, he was the father of five children.
He has amassed over 1.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify and over 112K followers on Instagram. In the last social media post uploaded before his death, Drue thanked his Spotify listeners for frequently jamming to his tracks. He also wrote in the caption of his post:
“What is your motivation to fight through it all? Mine is my children!!!! Thank you, guys!! We are just getting starting.”
“Heartbreaking!”: Tributes pour in as Antiguan soca singer passes away
Internet users were shocked by the news. Many took to social media to share tributes and extend support to Ricardo Drue's family and loved ones. A few comments on his Instagram page read:
Fans now await to learn more about Ricardo Drue's sudden passing. As aforementioned, the musician’s family had not shared information about the same at the time of writing this article.