(Trinidad Express) “CALYPSO King of the World” Slinger Francisco, better known as the “Mighty Sparrow”, yesterday said reigning Soca Monarch Machel Montano is mistaken, and in fact he (Sparrow) is the “happiest man alive”, referring to the title of Montano’s hit song.
Last September, 78-year-old Sparrow was hospitalised in New York in a comatose state.
During his weeks at hospital, rumours abounded that Sparrow had died.
Around 1.24 p.m. yesterday, Sparrow walked into the VIP Lounge at Piarco International Airport, very much alive.
“Greetings and salutations,” Sparrow said to the media contingent present to cover his homecoming.
He was greeted by his wife Margaret, daughter Karen and nine-month-old grandson, Kona.
Sparrow was flown home aboard a Caribbean Airlines plane. He said it was a “wonderful flight”.
Sparrow serenaded the other passengers on the flight with his song “This is madness”, which addresses the current state of the country.
He sang a couple lines for the media also.
Sparrow said he was “very, very happy and delighted” to be back home, especially in light of the current weather in New York.
“It feels very nice (to be home) because there is no snow and the only time you can see snow (here) is if you look on the tv at the Sochi (Winter Olympic) Games…I expect to see snow that way, but I’m not able with the kinda snow they have up there (in New York),” he said.
“There are certain parts of New York upstate, six, eight, ten inches (of snow), you kidding me. When I was coming out today, they said ‘you would barely get two inches (of snow)’ and I said ‘that’s nice, that can’t humbug no plane’.”
Asked how he was feeling, Sparrow replied in song.
“Ole, ole, ole, ole, I feeling hot, hot, hot,” he sang.
Sparrow was asked if he had heard any of the music for this year’s Carnival season.
He said he only heard a few, including “Happiest man alive” by Montano.
He said Montano was wrong, though, with his acclamation.
“But he is making a big mistake, he is not happier than me. You know what it is? I went in a coma and come back and show them. They don’t understand what coma means, you know? Coma means death.”
Sparrow said he faced death’s door.
“I came back from the doors because somebody was opening the wrong door there, so I want to come back and go through the right door.”
Sparrow expects to be here for the entire Carnival season, but he cannot stay away from his doctors for too long.
“I missed my family. I had to make sure I kept my family in tune with what is happening. They were all up there (in New York) to see me in the hospital and I now come down to see them because I am out of the hospital. Yes, I am out of the hospital. I could walk and I could dance a little bit, not no big time dance as yet,” he said.
He questioned why rumours claimed he was dead.
He sang a portion of his song “Sparrow Dead” to show how long people have been writing his obituary.
“I don’t know why they want to kill me,” he said.
“When I used to behave bad they didn’t want to kill me, now they want to kill me. I won’t give them a chance to kill me.”
Sparrow said he will be doing performances in order to raise funds to offset some of his medical expenses incurred over the past few months.
He said he has a six-week supply of medication and a kit which sounds an alarm at the scheduled time to take them.