Funeral of actor Chris Smith next Tuesday

THE FUNERAL of late actor and graphic designer Chris Smith will be held next Tuesday.

The arrangements were announced in a statement by Smith's wife and relatives, which said, "On behalf of Paula Hamilton-Smith and my family, I would like to thank everyone for your love and support during this very difficult time. We would like to announce the funeral to celebrate of our beloved Chris Smith."

The service will take place on January 15 from 2pm at St.Mary’s Anglican Church, Tacarigua.

Smith, died on Saturday from leukaemia. He was 44.

He was CEO at the ENT Factor, a production company he had just set up. He was a director at JCS Entertainment, and an actor, graphic artist and sound designer at Raymond Choo Kong Productions and First Instinct Productions, where he was also production manager.

Smith appeared in numerous TV commercials, music videos and theatre and film roles. He was in the TV show and films The Apartment, This Love, The Cutlass and Bazodee. His recent plays included The Ford at the New Play Festival 2018, Diana by LP Entertainment Theatre and Who is the Married Man by Raymond Choo Kong Productions.

He was a past student of Hillview College and COSTAATT.

There was a massive outpouring of tributes on social media after his death. Soca star Machel Montano, his Bazodee co-star, posted a tribute on Instagram saying: "You brought joy to so many and you gave me the encouragement I needed at just the time I needed it!" He also received tributes from the National Drama Association as well as many in the local theatre fraternity and film industry.