(Trinidad Express) Cultural icon and Trinity Cross recipient Pat Bishop has died.
Bishop, 71, passed away yesterday afternoon after she collapsed during a meeting in Port of Spain with Minister of Planning, Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie, masman Peter Minshall and a number of her cultural colleagues.
Bishop, who had complained earlier in the day of chest pains, collapsed during the meeting of Government’s High Level Expert Panel to Guide the Implementation of Arts, Cultural and Entrepreneurial Projects and Patriotism Project, at the Ministry of Planning at the Eric Williams Finance Building, Independence Square, Port of Spain.
She was taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital.
Bishop, who was perhaps best known for directing the Lydian Singers and the Desperadoes Steel Orchestra, died around 5.20 p.m. at the hospital.
The panel, of which Bishop was a part, consists of a number of members of the arts and culture community.
Tewarie told the Sunday Express last night that the panel met for about three-and-a-half hours before he was called in for further discussion.
The panel had held its final meeting before finishing a report on building institutions and identifying cultural projects on artistic developments.
It was while Minshall was speaking, Tewarie said, that Bishop suddenly “pulled up” into her chair and collapsed.
Head of the Artists Coalition, Rubadiri Victor and Dr Kiran Akal rushed to Bishop’s side and tried, unsuccessfully, to revive her.
Others in the room were at the same trying to get an ambulance to the building, Tewarie said.
The ambulance arrived 20 minutes later.
It was another 20 minutes or so before the ambulance arrived at the Port of Spain General Hospital, where Bishop was admitted through the Emergency Department.
Doctors on duty were not able to revive Bishop and have so far diagnosed the cause of death as a combination of a heart attack and stroke.
An autopsy is to be performed tomorrow.
