Relatives, friends, honour K Lion

More than a month after he died in Miami, Florida, dancehall artiste Kwinton "K Lion" Thomas was laid to rest after a brief ceremony in his Belmont hometown on Friday morning.

Thomas, 23, died of a heart attack while playing football on June 10. His body was returned to TT on Tuesday.

Neighbour and longtime friend Kiara Alexis read the eulogy at the St Francis RC Church, Belmont. She recalled Thomas' life before his rise to fame and the qualities that made him a hero in his community.

Alexis said, in contrast to his on-stage persona as K Lion, Thomas was a warm and friendly person who enjoyed entertaining others with his music and sense of humour.

"The children enjoyed having him around. He was like a youthful dad and a naturally loving spirit.

"On at least three occasions he volunteered at a children's Christmas party to play Santa Claus. You saw his small frame. He looked so silly. It was the funniest thing ever, and seeing a young man not take himself so seriously and willing to participate in a children's Christmas party speaks volumes about his character and the type of person Kwinton really was."

Alexis said while Thomas' death was saddening, she encouraged mourners to remember the positive impact he had on their lives.

During their tributes, one relative said while they mourn Thomas' death he encouraged them not to forget about his toddler daughter Sumayyah Thomas.

"If you listen to his song Bad News, he was hoping to live past the age of 83 but he will live on in heaven and we must all look after his daughter. That is one lion cub, one little lionness that has a lot of lions looking over her."

Officiating minister George Johnson said while he only learned about Thomas' career as a dancehall artiste on Thursday, in preparation for the funeral, he felt that his death, like any other, warranted introspection from mourners.

"I don't know much about the young man, but I did some quick research and I know he was a dancehall singer and my daughter gave me some more insight.

"This morning I don't want to focus so much about K Lion's life, because I don't know much about his life, but more on the things he would have left us and some of the things we need to reflect upon in this journey we call life. Let K Lion's death be a wake up call for us all to put our house in order."

Throngs of family, friends and fans flocked to the church to pay their final respects to the Malandros and Private Zess hitmaker. Owing to covid19 restrictions, only 25 people were allowed seating in the church while fans looked at the service from the carpark.

Thomas was buried at the Mucurapo Cemetery.