Third Trinidad art legend passes

Trinidadian comic genius and cultural historian Dennis “Sprangalang” Hall died on Oct. 2, two days after his 71st birthday.

He had been ailing for some time and his passing — which comes five months after the death of his brother, Trinbagonian playwright Tony Hall, and two weeks after the death of actor Nigel Scott, a stalwart of local theatre — leaves a gaping hole in Trinidad and Tobago's artistic community.

Best known for his portrayal of Draxi, a character on the Cultural Sprangalang segment of Gayelle, a cultural magazine series that helped local television forge a strong Caribbean identity during the mid-1980s, Hall was passionate about passing on knowledge of the history and culture of Trinidad and Tobago.

Hall also starred in various theatrical plays and other productions, including director Frances-Anne Solomon's feature film A Winter Tale and the Canadian sitcom Lord Have Mercy!