BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Jan. 11, 2024

Confirmed sources inform us that 1980s football star, Kent “Gigante” Skeete, who had been a fixture on Orange Street for a few years, has passed after a prolonged illness. We missed him at his usual spot on Saturdays this past weekend, and we were informed yesterday that he had been taken to KHMH in an ambulance last week Friday or thereabouts. A center striker with the late eighties champion Duurly’s 1st Division football team, Gigante, as his name implied, was very tall for a striker, but he got the job done for his team in a quiet and resourceful manner, with little flair and much agility for a man with a six-foot four frame. Always a gentleman, we don’t know exactly when things began to go wrong for Gigante, but for years he was an honest helper to the street-side “Little Chetumal” vendors, moving their wares back and forth in the mornings and evenings, until his ailment weakened his body till he could no longer do heavy lifting.

We are reliably informed that the funeral will be held this Sunday, but as of press time we haven’t received the details of the service. Our sincere condolences to his football brothers, other relatives and friends. Rest in peace, Brother Kent “Gigante” Skeete!