RETIRED appellate court judge and chairman of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Appeals Tribunal Justice Ransford Langrin died yesterday morning. He was 77.

While it was not clear what led to Langrin’s passing, reports reaching the Observer are that the former jurist – who is survived by wife Gloria, herself an attorney, and children – had been ailing for the past six weeks.

Langrin, who retired from the Court of Appeal in 2002, was yesterday hailed by judges and others in the legal fraternity as the consummate gentleman and a thoughtful and well-rounded person who loved tennis.

Minister of youth, sports and culture Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, who had appointed Langrin as chairman of the Anti-Doping Appeals Tribunal in August, expressed regret and sadness at his passing.

“Mr Justice Langrin performed his duties as chairman of the Jamaica Anti-Doping Appeals Tribunal with the greatest integrity and attention to detail,” said Grange in a release.

“I express most sincere regrets to his family, fellow tribunal members and the legal fraternity,” said Grange.

Court of Appeal President Seymour Panton described Langrin as a diligent and easy person to work with.

“He was a good judge, very dignified. He was a diligent person. Here at the Court of Appeal we found him very easy to work with,” Panton told the Observer, while expressing condolences to Langrin’s family.

Chief Justice Zaila McCalla said Langrin was a “well-rounded person” and a “competent judge”.

“.When I heard of his death it was shocking. I think it is a great loss not only to the judiciary and the legal fraternity but to Jamaica,” said McCalla, who worked with Langrin in the Supreme Court.

Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn and attorney George Soutar, who heads the Advocates Association of Jamaica, both described Langrin as a caring, thoughtful person, who was always courteous.

Attorney Norma Linton described Langrin as an excellent and helpful person.

Arlene Harrison-Henry, former president of the Jamaica Bar Association, who served with Langrin in the Attorney General’s Department, described the late judge as a person who always looked out for the interest of young counsels.

“He was always helpful to young counsels and always took the time to give direction. He was a complete and total gentleman,” Harrison-Henry said.

Yesterday, both the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court observed moments of silence in honour of Langrin. Tributes were also paid to him in open court.

Langrin, a former police officer, was called to the bar in 1969.

He served at the Attorney General’s Department for an extended period before leaving as senior assistant general for the Supreme Court in the late 1980s. After years of distinguished service, Langrin was appointed to the Court of Appeal in May 1999.

He was also a member of the Jamaica Privy Council, which advises the governor general.

After retiring from the appellate court in 2002, Langrin used the opportunity to continue in the service of the public.

He was a member of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, the Firearms Licensing Authority and was a temporary judge at the Appeal Court of the Turks and Caicos Islands.