Listeners are mourning the coronavirus death of legendary Jamaican radio broadcaster Gil Bailey.  

Media outlets say he died of complications from the virus at age 84 on Monday in New York, where he was championed as the voice of Jamaican and Caribbean radio for five decades. 

Bailey's Saturday radio program was a must listen in the metropolitan New York area, including New Jersey and Connecticut, which has a large Jamaican and Caribbean community.  

Since last July, Bailey also hosted a YouTube program, where he showcased West Indian music of all forms, including calypso and gospel. 

Bailey was considered a pioneer among radio personalities, many of whom followed his format of using entertainment to inform the Caribbean community in greater New York.  

Jamaica's Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports, Olivia Grange, expressed her condolences, saying she was a friend of Bailey's and worked with him for years in promoting Jamaica.