According to reports reaching miyvue.com, Thompson died at 2:10 am on Saturday 23rd October. The late Prime Minister had been suffering from pancreatic cancer since early this year.
His wife Mara and three children were at his bedside when he passed away at his home in St Phillip, Barbados.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas has expressed sadness at the death of Thompson.
A release from the PM’s Office states, “It is a loss to not of the people of Barbados, but also the people of the Caribbean,” said Dr. Douglas in his initial reaction.
A few weeks ago, rumours were high in Barbados that Mr. Thompson had died, only to learn that though he was rushed back to hospital for more treatment in New York, he was still alive. The rumours later changed to indicate that he had fallen into a coma.
From that period, there were many who concluded that the Prime Minister would not recover, given the low survival rate of patients with that type of cancer.
Doctors had also indicated that cases of pancreatic cancer usually lead to death, in a short period.
It was back in May that Thompson announced to the nation he was experiencing severe stomach pains, one of the symptoms of pancreatic cancer, since March. On 16th September, after several trips to seek medical attention overseas, his personal physical revealed the diagnosis.
Thompson had been undergoing treatment and had been in and out of office for several months, travelling to and from the New York Presbyterian Hospital where he was being given chemotherapy to shrink the tumor in his pancreas so it could be safely removed.
At the end of last month, in an audio address to the Barbados nation, he announced he had reshuffled his Cabinet, giving up much of his responsibilities to other ministers, including passing over the portfolio of Finance to Chris Sinckler. Thompson’s deputy, Freundel Stuart, has been acting as Prime Minister.
Thompson leaves to mourn an entire nation, along with his wife Mara and three daughters – Mischa, Oya and Osa-Marie. He is also survived by mother Margaret Knight and father Charles Thompson.