Dr Richard Kirkwood, a former member of vocal quartet Casual T, died in New York City on March 2. He was 76 years old.

Kirkwood, who shared lead vocals on the group’s 1979 hit song Let’s Hold On, had lived in the United States since 1980. A ears, nose and throat specialist, he worked as an emergency room physician at St Joseph’s Medical Center in New York for many years before retiring five years ago.

His son, Dion, told the Jamaica Observer that his father was recently admitted to hospital, suffering from a terminal illness. He died there days later.

The eldest of his father’s three children, Dion Kirkwood said his father was born in Colombia to a Jamaican mother. He came to Kingston as a child and later attended The University of the West Indies (UWI).

It was at the UWI that he met Drs Charlie Roberts, Lennie Miller and Audley Betton who became his colleagues in Casual T which formed in 1979. The following year, they had a big hit with Let’s Hold On, a soul ballad co-produced by them and Ibo Cooper.

Roberts met Kirkwood in 1970 when he came to Jamaica from his native Antigua to study medicine at the UWI. Kirkwood was a singer on Chancellor Hall and “quite impressive with his vocals.”

Although Kirkwood recorded a cover of Bunny Sigler’s That’s How Long I’ll be Loving You at Federal Records, it was with Casual T that he is best known musically. The quartet recorded two albums, including Prescription For Love which had Rita Marley as executive producer.

Kirkwood and Miller also recorded Travelling Companion (Faith, Hope And Inspiration), an album of covers released in 2009.

Dr Richard Kirkwood is survived by his children, three grandchildren, and sister Karen. The thanksgiving service for his life takes place March 12 at Michael J Higgins Funeral Home in New York.