Prime Minister Gaston Browne and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Barbuda Affairs EP Chet Greene have paid tribute to former parliamentarian and senator Eustace “Teco” Lake, who passed away on Friday following ongoing medical complications.

Browne, who shared a personal connection with Lake through family ties, described him as affable and widely loved from his earliest years, saying the news came as a blow despite knowing he had been hospitalized.

“So, we’ve had a friendship dating back decades and I’m really saddened by his sudden passing. We knew that he was hospitalized and had hoped for his recovery. But unfortunately, he didn’t make it this time around and we’re all saddened by this loss,” the Prime Minister.

“So, I want to take the opportunity to extend sincerest condolences to his family members and continue to stand with them during this time of repentance,” he added.

The Prime Minister recalled that Lake’s popularity and personal warmth drew him much public support as he entered electoral politics.

“One of the reasons why I invited him in 2009 to contest on behalf of them was because of his affability. He was well-loved and very popular as a youngster, especially in the St John’s Rural South constituency,” Browne said.

Lake won his seat that year and again in 2014, serving as Minister of Works before kidney disease forced him to withdraw from electoral politics ahead of the 2018 elections where he successfully underwent kidney surgery at the hospital and was said to have been recovering.

He was later appointed to the Senate, where he continued to participate in parliamentary life and remained active in party functions.

Browne confirmed that as a former parliamentarian, Lake would receive an official state funeral, with arrangements to be formally announced at Cabinet the following Wednesday.

Minister Greene, who was also on the campaign trail in Willikies when news of the passing broke, said the shock was compounded by Lake’s relatively young age.

“A relatively young man still, in his early 60s, and so the shock, the sadness is multiplied when one considers his age,” Minister Greene said. He described Lake as a close colleague whose loss goes beyond the party. “Teco is more than a loss to us. It brings you face-to-face with your own mortality.”

Greene said Lake’s character endured even through years of medical difficulty.

“Effervescent, vivacious, just a lively person and even through his medical challenges, he remained that kind of person who was so personable that everyone loved him,” he said, extending condolences on behalf of the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) and the nation.

Both leaders spoke of Lake’s unwavering loyalty to the party even after stepping back from elected office, with Greene noting he could always be counted on at party functions, Labour Day observances, and other events. “Always at the ready to service party and country,” Greene said.