Cocaine overdose kills Bradley
WORLD acclaimed pan arranger Clive Bradley was getting high on cocaine last week, when he suffered a massive stroke and had to be rushed to the Port of Spain General Hospital (POSGH).
Badley, 64, who famously led Witco Desperadoes to six of its 10 Panorama victories, was reportedly at his Laventille home when he suffered the stroke while sniffing a portion of cocaine.
He died shortly after being rushed to POSGH.
Bradley was fired by Desperadoes in 2003, for an incident in connection with his drug problem.
“It is fair to say that a cocaine overdose killed Bradley,” the source added.
“It was no secret that Bradley along with some other pan arrangers are like slaves to cocaine.
“Cocaine had taken over his life; he lived for cocaine.”
The source added: “There is another top arranger who must have his cocaine at hand before he starts to arrange, during and after.
“You have to almost literally feed him cocaine while he is arranging your tune.
“Bradley was no different.”
A report by Jon Pareles of the New York Times said: “Mr. Bradley’s arrangements were prized for their continual inventiveness.
“In one, he had the drummers take the rubber tips off their drumsticks to evoke a rainstorm.
“He was a self-taught musician; he attended Fatima College, majoring in mathematics and later taught there.
“But he also worked as a musician and also once had his own small band, the Bradley Bunch, and briefly formed a brass band, Sounds Incorporated.
“He won his first Panorama championship in 1970, with an arrangement of Lord Kitchener’s Margie.”
Bradley once described his method in an interview for Panonthenet.com: “The arrangement is manufactured from the lyrics and the phraseology, more or less.
“I just look at the tune and see what I can use.”
He was divorced and survived by two children Corwin and Kelly.
