Bandleader Edmundo Ross dies in Alicante aged 100

http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_32417.shtml


Born in Trinidad-Tobago, he entertained much of the British public during the war.
One of his album sleeves


Edmundo Ros, singer, bandleader and percussionist, who was famous for popularising the rumba, has passed away quietly in Spain on Friday night at the age of 100, two months short of his 101st birthday.

The news was given by John Adrian, Secertary of The Grand Order of Water Rats, of which he was a member.

Ros was born in Trindad-Tobago and then lived in Venezuela, the UK and on his retirement moved to the Costa Blanca in Spain with his wife Susan. He spent his last years in the Residencia de Benimeli, now confined to a wheelchair, while his wife remained in Javea.
He gave his last performance in 1994, and was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2000.

Most of his career was in London where he popularised the Latin American sound, particularly during and after the Second World War. He was catapulted into the public eye when Princess Elizabeth, the future queen, made her first public foray onto the dance floor at a party at London’s Bagatelle, accompanied by the music of Ros’s band.

He could often be found playing in the Coconut Grove Club in Regent Street, a venue he later purchased. His 1949 hit, The Wedding Samba sold more than three million copies

I remember as a child listening to him playing on the Billy Cotton Bandshow and to be honest I didn't realize he was still alive.
R.I.P. Edmundo Ros.

Seems like he must have been about 108 ! RIP.