KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Babsy Grange, has hailed the late Munair Zacca as one of the best home-grown acting talents to have emerged in Jamaica.

Zacca died in Kingston on April 2 at age 79 after ailing for some time.

“He was one of the founders of Theatre ’77, along with the late Trevor Rhone and Yvonne Brewster, and together they took theatre to small venues, beginning with the 150-seat Barn Theatre on Oxford Road in Kingston. Before that, theatre was only presented in bigger spaces such as the Ward Theatre and the Little Theatre,” Grange said.

Pointing to his outstanding talent, the minister shared “Munair, like good wine, mellowed with age, getting better at his craft as the years went by. He personified the ‘Sonny T’ character on the long-running CVM Television hit series, ‘Royal Palm Estate’. He made the ‘Sonny T’ role his own, creating a character everyone loved to hate. Munair Zacca will long be remembered as an actor whose talent enriched both stage and screen.”

Grange also expressed condolences to his wife Adelina and their two daughters, his relatives, friends, associates and those in the theatre community.