David John Howard Thompson, prime Minister of Barbados, passed away on October 23, 2010. Mr Thompson had been ailing for sometime, the extent of which became noticeable in a los of weight and long absences from office.

It was later disclosed, on Mr Thompson’s approval, that he was suffering from pancreatic cancer. It’s a malignant cancer with a historically poor prognosis for recovery.

Mr Thompson had said that he had been suffering with stomach pains since early March 2010.

According to medical data, fewer than 5% of those diagnosed live beyond years after diagnosis. Complete remission is rare.

David John Howard Thompson, the sixth prime minister of Barbados, was born on Christmas Day born 25 December 1961 in England but grew up in Barbados.

After a long career in law and politics he was elected prime minister of Barbados on January 15 2008.

He came to politics in a 1987 by-election after the death of then prime minister Errol Barrow, by retaining the St John seat for the Democratic Labour Party. He has held on to that seat since then.

David Thompson got his first cabinet appointment in 1991 when he served as Minister of
Community Development and Culture until 1993.

He took over the Finance portfolio for the next year under Erskine Sandiford and subsequently took over leadership of the DLP after Sandiford lost parliamentary no confidence motion.

In the election that followed and one in 1999 David Thompson was unable to get the DLP back into power.

He stepped down from the party’s leadership in 2001 after a third consecutive electoral defeat when the party lost a by-election that year.
But he was to step back in the leader’s role in 2006 when Clyde Mascoll, who had succeeded him, defected to the then ruling Barbados Labour Party under Owen Arthur.

He successfully led the DLP to a 20-10 convincing win over the Barbados Labour Party, ending the BLP’s 13 unbroken run in government.

Thompson’s DLP came into office on a mandate of lowering the cost of living, improving healthcare, and tackling crime.

His coming into office was however marked by the global economic crisis and credit crunch for which he advised, unlike many of his Caribbean counterparts, against overzealous belt-tightening, putting the onus on government and the private sector to stimulate the economy .

David Thompson attended Barbados’ Combermere School before going on to study Law at the University of the West Indies.

He subsequently became Queen’s Counsel.

David Thompson was born in London to Charles Thompson, a porter a

Source:  BBC