KINGSTON, Jamaica — Elaine Perkins, widow of the famous Jamaican talk show host and journalist, Wilmot ‘Motty’ Perkins, died this morning after a brief illness.

Elaine Perkins, who died age 80, was the producer of radio talk shows, including Perkins Online, which were hosted by her husband and aired on several radio stations. Motty died in February, 2012.

But, personally, she is widely regarded as one of the Jamaica’s best writer/producer/director of radio drama, including Jamaica’s most famous radio soap opera Dulcimina: Her Life in Town, which aired on the former Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC).

The “Dulcimina” series, which has been stored in the audio-visual collection of Jamaica’s National Library, was so popular that when one of the actresses who played a leading role died, her funeral, which was held in downtown Kingston, blocked the Parade area for hours.

The drama, about life for a young woman from rural Jamaica who came to Kingston in search of a better life, was Jamaica’s longest running radio drama series. It was aired for 13 years (1967-1980).

She also wrote Life in Hopeful Village, which was also developed as a brief radio drama in the 1960s around issues such as literacy, family planning and agriculture.

Her husband, “Motty” Perkins hosted several radio talk shows including Perkins on Line, Straight Talk, Hot Line, Public Eye and What’s your Grouse, on several radio stations.

Balford Henry