Jour­nal­ist, broad­cast­er, com­mu­ni­ca­tions pro­fes­sion­al and singer Ray­mond Ed­wards has died af­ter a pro­longed ill­ness.

His wife made the an­nounce­ment on so­cial me­dia to­day.

Ed­wards spent decades in lo­cal me­dia and of­ten lent his voice to ads and as a com­men­ta­tor dur­ing car­ni­val broad­casts.

Ed­wards be­gan singing at age 17 af­ter meet­ing his mu­si­cal men­tor, the late Chester­ton Ali, who guid­ed him to the first of many Trinidad and To­ba­go Mu­sic Fes­ti­val cham­pi­onships. Through Ali, Ed­wards trained un­der opera singer and tu­tor Lor­na Mae May­ers, who helped shape his ear­ly clas­si­cal foun­da­tion.

In an over 20-year per­form­ing ca­reer, he shared the stage with nu­mer­ous lo­cal artistes and sang for glob­al Heads of State and dig­ni­taries. He of­ten said his great­est joy was per­form­ing for his fel­low Trin­bag­o­ni­ans.