Above: Francisco

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Martinique is mourning the death of a musical hero, the singer Francisco.

Francisco, whose real name was Frantz Charles Denis, died Thursday morning at the age of 81 after a long battle with illness.

In a statement, Martinique’s regional assembly called him “a man of many talents,” who was also an actor, martial arts champion and a great supporter of the regional tourism development agency in the French department.

Francisco composed more than 60 songs and 15 albums in his career.

“On behalf of all of the elected members of the Martinique Region, on my own behalf, I assure his family of our most grateful support and the expression of our affectionate closeness,” said Serge Letchimy, president of the Regional Council of Martinique.

On its blog, Martinique’s regional government said Martinique had “lost a treasure.”

“It is now possible for us to draw from many forces to sing about what we are and to project to the world the extraordinary creativity of our country,” it wrote.