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Andy Palacio passes away

Andy Palacio

Andy Palacio, an iconic musician and cultural activist in his native Belize and impassioned spokesperson for the Garifuna people of Central America, was declared dead January 19 at 9pm Belize time due to a massive and extensive stroke to the brain, a heart attack and respiratory failure due to the previous two conditions.

"Words can’t express the sorrow we feel at the loss of such a tremendous person and artist," said in a joint press release Belizean producer and Stonetree Records owner Ivan Duran and Cumbancha label owner Jacob Edgar, reports World Music Central.

Palacio, 47, started feeling poorly last week and eventually visited a doctor with complaints of dizziness and blurred vision. On the 16th of January, he began experiencing seizures and was rushed to a hospital in Belmopan, Belize and then on to another hospital in Belize City. At this point, most people were hopeful Palacio would recover.

On January 17th, Palacio’s condition worsened and he began experiencing more seizures. He was placed on an air ambulance to Chicago where he was expected to get treatment at one of the premier neurological facilities in the country. En route to Chicago, the plane stopped in Mobile, Alabama to clear immigration. At that point, Palacio was unconscious and it was determined that he was too ill to continue on the flight to Chicago. He was rushed to a hospital in Mobile, and placed on life support. There, doctors determined that the damage to his brain function was severe, and that his chances of recovery were slim. On January 18th, his family requested that he be flown back to Belize so that he might die in his homeland.

Read more at World Music Central.

Statement from Ivan Duran and Jacob Edgar

Dear all:
We are heartbroken to report that Andy Palacio passed away tonight at 9pm Belize time. The cause of death was a massive and extensive stroke to the brain, a heart attack and respiratory failure due to the previous two conditions. After having been waylaid in Mobile, Alabama while en route to emergency care in Chicago, Andy had been brought back to a hospital in Belize last night so that he could die in his homeland.

Words can’t express the sorrow we feel at the loss of such a tremendous person and artist.

A more formal press release is posted in the blog. Please pass this information on to the countless people around the world who have been impacted by Andy’s music and message. Feel free to post this announcement to your email lists or blogs, as we want to make sure that everyone who knows Andy or his music are aware of what has happened.

Andy Palacio. Garifuna Belize music In the Garifuna culture the death of a loved one is an opportunity to celebrate their memory and rejoice in having been blessed to have had them in your life. We feel so fortunate to have known this incredible individual and we mourn the loss of truly great man.

In an interview conducted last July, Andy was asked how he wanted to be remembered when he died. He replied, "As a proud Garifuna...someone who instills pride in Garifuna and raises their self-esteem. To me, that's the most important thing." This was already the case while he was alive, and we’re certain it will only be more true in the future.

Sincerely,

Ivan Duran and Jacob Edgar

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written by webbo, January 25, 2008

Last year, when I began planning a visit to Belize, a friend told me of this great musician from Belize to listen to...it was Andy Palacio. While in Belize in December, I eagerly bought "Watina" at the Belize City airport. I immediately fell in love with his music. He was such a great talent...he will be missed by all.

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