2016 in Jamaica

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Decades:	1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2016 Timeline of Jamaican history

Events in the year 2016 in Jamaica .

Incumbents

• Monarch: Elizabeth II
• Governor-General: Patrick Allen
• Prime Minister: Portia Simpson-Miller (until 3 March); Andrew Holness
• Chief Justice: Zaila McCalla

Events

• 30 January – Jamaican health officials confirm the country's first case of the Zika virus in a 4-year-old child who recently returned from a trip to Texas. ^[1]
• 25 February – Jamaican general election, 2016:
  • Voters in Jamaica go to the polls for a general election, with the Jamaican Labour Party, led by Andrew Holness, winning a narrow victory. ^[2]

• 1 May – Two missionaries from the United States are found slain in separate areas of rural St. Mary parish. Randy Hentzel and Harold Nichols both worked for a Pennsylvania-based Christian charity called Teams for Medical Missions. ^[3]
• 30 September – Hurricane Matthew becomes a category-5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds up to 160 mph, the strongest hurricane to form over the Caribbean Sea since Hurricane Felix in 2007. ^[4]
• 2 October – Heavy rains from Hurricane Matthew's outer bands drench Haiti and Jamaica, killing a Haitian fisherman. ^[5]

Sports

• 14 August – 2016 Summer Olympics:
  • Athletics: Usain Bolt becomes the first man to win three gold medals in the men's 100 metres. ^[6]

Deaths

• 26 January – Barrington Watson, painter (b. 1931). ^[7]
• 3 February – Mercedes Richards, astronomer and physicist (b. 1955). ^[8]
• 27 February – Winston Blake, record producer (b. 1940). ^[9]
• 23 March – Jimmy Riley, reggae musician (b. 1947)
• 28 March – Yvette Francis-McBarnette, Jamaican-born American pediatrician (b. 1926)
• 9 April – Derrick Rochester, politician and trade unionist, MP for South East St Elizabeth (1972–1980, 1989–2002), member of the Senate (1980–1983). (b. 1940) ^[10]
• 19 April – Lord Tanamo, ska and mento musician (b. 1934). ^[11]
• 6 June – Basil McKenzie, Olympic sprinter (b. 1926). ^[12]
• 12 June – Michelle Cliff, Jamaican-born American writer (b. 1946)
• 17 June – Sam Beaver King, 90, Jamaican-born British political activist, Mayor of Southwark (1983), co-founder of the Notting Hill Carnival (b. 1926). ^[13]
• 1 August – Louis Marriott, actor, director, writer and broadcaster (b. 1935). ^[14]
• 3 August – Shakira Martin, 30, American-born Jamaican model and beauty queen, Miss Jamaica Universe (2011) (b. 1986). ^[15]
• 21 August – Headley Bennett, saxophonist (b. 1931).
• 8 September – Prince Buster, ska musician ("One Step Beyond", "Al Capone") (b. 1938). ^[16]
• 29 September – Nora Dean, singer (b. 1944). ^[17]
• 18 October – Bobby Ellis, trumpeter (b. 1932).
• 16 November – Alex Stewart, Olympic boxer (1984) (b. 1964). ^[18]

References

1. Stanglin, Doug. "Jamaica reports its first case of Zika virus". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
2. "Five Things You Need to Know About Jamaica's Elections". Bloomberg.com. 2016-02-24. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
3. "2 U.S. missionaries found dead in Jamaica, police say - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2016-05-01. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
4. "Matthew Weakens Slightly to a Category 4 Hurricane With Jamaica in Its Path". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
5. "Deadly Hurricane Matthew pounds the Caribbean - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2016-10-03. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
6. Young, Matias Grez,Henry (2016-08-14). "Rio 2016 Olympics: Day 9 as it happened". CNN. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
7. "Renowned Jamaican artist Barrington Watson dies". jamaica-gleaner.com. 2016-01-27. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
8. "Obituary of Mercedes Tharam Richards | Koch Funeral Home". kochfuneralhome.com. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
9. Meschino, Patricia (2016-03-01). "Winston 'Merritone' Blake, Jamaican Sound System Pioneer, Dead at 75". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
10. "Former SE St Elizabeth MP Derrick Rochester dies". Jamaica Observer . 2016-04-19. Archived from the original on 2016-04-19. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
11. "Lord Tanamo dies in Canada - Entertainment". Jamaica Observer . Archived from the original on 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
12. "Olympedia – Basil McKenzie". www.olympedia.org. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
13. "Sam King: Notting Hill Carnival founder and first black Southwark mayor dies". BBC News. 2016-06-18. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
14. "Opposition leader pays tribute to Louis Marriott - News - JamaicaObserver.com". 2017-01-01. Archived from the original on 2017-01-01. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
15. "Shakira was never a slave to her disease, says mother of former Miss Ja Universe". jamaica-gleaner.com. 2016-08-03. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
16. Sivanesan, Shanthi (2016-09-08). "Prince Buster dead: Ska and rocksteady pioneer dies at 78". International Business Times UK. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
17. "Nora Dean dead at 72 - Entertainment - JamaicaObserver.com". 2017-01-22. Archived from the original on 2017-01-22. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
18. "Zmarł były bokser Alex Stewart". sport.interia.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-03-01.