Brother Valentino: key obituary facts
Is Brother Valentino dead? Yes. Brother Valentino died on October 20, 2026, at age 85.
Cause of death: Brother Valentino's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Brother Valentino known for?
Brother Valentino was a Calypsonian.
More about Brother Valentino
Born: July 7, 1941.
Occupation: Calypsonian.
Years active: 1961–2026.
Brother Valentino, the Trinidadian calypsonian and soca musician known offstage as Emrold Anthony Philip, died October 20, 2026, aged 85.
Born in Cherry Hill, Grenada, on July 7, 1941, he migrated to Trinidad at a young age. He arrived on Jouvé (Carnival) morning, an experience he later regarded as an early influence on his entry into calypso.
At home, his parents listened to Lord Beginner, Lord Christo and Lord Kitchener, making the music part of his childhood. His schooling was interrupted by his father’s death when Philip was 16. Valentino’s career spanned 1961 to 2026, and his songs addressed the Black Power movement, poverty, inequality and political authority. During a tour of the United States in the mid-1970s, he sang with Black Stalin, another politically vocal calypsonian. In 1979, Valentino wrote and sang “Stay up Zimbabwe,” an anti-apartheid song opposing the state of Rhodesia. His later tours took him to Grenada, the United Kingdom and Cuba, extending his performances beyond Trinidad and the Caribbean. His work drew on both local political concerns and wider struggles, which were among the subjects he explored through calypso and soca over his decades-long career.