Caribbean mourns death of Lifetime Achievement Awardee Journalist Rickey Singh

Guyana: Veteran Caribbean journalist and 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Rickey Ramotar Singh died at his home in Barbados on July 5 at the age of 88. Widely respected for his fearless reporting and decades-long contribution to Caribbean Media, Singh’s death prompted tributes from regional leaders, colleagues and citizens.

His friends and colleagues have been hailing him as an icon of truth and journalistic excellence.

Singh a native of Guyana, known for his fearless reporting, began his career in 1957 at the Guiana Graphic as a general reporter and later transitioned into hard-hitting political reporting. Through his career which spanned more than 6 decades he made his contributions to Guyana Chronicle, Barbados Nation, Jamaica Gleaner, Trinidad Guardian, BBC Caribbean Report, and the Caribbean News Agency.

Singh’s career in journalism was marked by remarkable courage under threat. As the journalist narrowly survived a lynching attempt in Buxton, endured a brutal clash with a “Death Squad” in Georgetown, and even faced a near-fatal poisoning — all while steadfastly pursuing truth and demanding accountability.

Described as a true Caribbean man, the founder president of the Caribbean Association of Media Workers (CAMWORK),a platform for advocacy of  integration and press freedom, where he  mentored future journalists. His tremendous contribution to the journalism field did not go unrecognized; the University of the West Indies awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2023, the same year he received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.

Tributes from across the Caribbean have been poured from some of the Caribbean leaders including from Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley, Minister Kwame Mc Coy and the Guyana Press Association. 

Prime Minister Mia Mottley paid her tribute to the renowned Caribbean journalist who also contributed to several wire services and publications in the regions of Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. 

PM Mottley offered her deepest sympathies to his six children and his colleagues across the Caribbean, she further noted that Rickey was a household name who although had his roots from Guyana,  his spirit flowed throughout the Caribbean, as he called home Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados for more than 4 years. 

His passing is being widely mourned throughout the Caribbean as many testament to his good natured soul that not only helped in delivering news but the local citizens as well 

Minister Kwame Mc Coy expressed that the office of the Prime Minister also mourns the death of the recognized and appreciated journalist Ricky Singh. Who generously devoted his life to journalism, noting that Rickey was not only confined to Guyana but has his contributions in other states of the Caribbean. 

The minister recalled how much he enjoyed reading Rickey’s publications in his younger years as he usually saved them as the last read while going through newspapers. The Government of Guyana extended its heartfelt condolences to the family of Rickey especially to his daughter Donna, friends, and those who were fortunate to experience his work.