They Died 2020

D ERRICK LARA, a former member of Jamaican vocal group, The Tamlins, passed away this morning in Florida. Carlton ‘Tamlin’ Smith, a member of the group, told The Gleaner that Lara died at 5 o’clock this morning, at his daughter’s residence in Miami. He revealed that the singer had been experiencing bouts of illness for over a year and had sought medical attention in Jamaica. But two months ago, he discovered that he had cancer. “It was in December that he found that he had stage four cancer. He was checking on some other problems that he had, because he suspected that he had a stroke, and this was from November 2018. He had been going to doctors and doing all kinds of tests, but it was when they did a CT scan that the doctors realised what was the real problem. But all along, I felt that it wasn’t a stroke,” Carlton Tamlin said. The cancer, he said, spread to other organs and caused complications. He was full of praise for Lara, who joined the group in 1983. “He was a great drummer and singer. He had a falsetto that was amazing. He was a member of the group for 36 years and we travelled the world playing music.” Glory Music CEO, Tommy Cowan, told The Gleaner that he knew that Lara was at peace. “Carlene (Davis) and I spent some time with him in hospital in December and he gave his life to the Lord. He just cried and cried, and he was so happy,” Cowan said. He remembered Lara as a wonderful, caring human being whose talent was beyond question. Derrick Lara, a father of two, was 61. Prior to joining The Tamlins, Lara recorded with artistes including Beres Hammond, Everton Blender and Anthony B. He also enjoyed a solo career, which saw the release of a number of albums, namely Reality, Right on Time, Motherless Child and Just a Vibes (feat Beres Hammond). yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com Remembering Derrick Lara of the Tamlins He was a great drummer and singer. He had a falsetto that was amazing. He was a member of the group for 36 years and we travelled the world playing music.” Published February 13, 2020 DER R ICK L A R A