We received the news two hours ago. The loss still sits heavy.
Tommy Ricketts, founding member and former president of the Poetry Society of Jamaica, has passed.
Dub poet. Mentor. Guide to many. A steady force in Jamaica’s spoken word movement for decades.
He moved across forms with ease. Poetry. Acting. Producing. Singing. Directing. Voice. Visual art. A multidisciplinary artist in full practice.
His presence held the room. Tall frame. Long locs. You saw him at once. Yet he moved with quiet humility. He never reached for attention. It found him anyway.
He gave his time to writers. He built spaces. He strengthened community. His work lives in the voices he shaped, the stages he helped grow, the culture he protected.
Jamaica has lost a Kulcha Keeper. A bearer of creative lineage.
We extend condolences to the Jamaica Poetry Society, his family, friends, and all who walked with him.
Walk good, elder. Your words remain. Your work continues.
UPDATE – March 20, 2026:
The Poetry Society of Jamaica shared:
“Thank you for the overwhelming outpouring of tributes saluting our President, Tommy Ricketts and for reaching out with love and support as we navigate this changed world. We are grateful for each and every gesture of kindness.We invite you to join us this month on the Last Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at 7pm in the Amphitheatre, Edna Manley College as we begin the first phase of honouring our President, the architect, Tommy Ricketts. Meet us in the amphitheatre for our Monthly Fellowship as we gather to raise him up in poems, tributes and music.
Memorial details to come.”