Events in the year 2016 in Jamaica.

Incumbents

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

: Patrick Allen * Prime Minister:

Portia Simpson-Miller Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller (born 12 December 1945) is a Jamaican politician. She served as Prime Minister of Jamaica from March 2006 to September 2007 and again from 5 January 2012 to 3 March 2016. She was the leader of the People's Nationa ...

(until 3 March); Andrew Holness * Chief Justice:

Zaila McCalla Zaila Rowena McCalla, O.J. (''née'' Morris; born 31 January 1948) is a Jamaican judge. Between 2007 and 2018, she was the Chief Justice of Jamaica. Early life and education Zaila Rowena Morris was born on 31 January 1948 in Westmoreland Parish, ...

Events

* 30 January – Jamaican health officials confirm the country's first case of the Zika virus in a 4-year-old child who recently returned from a trip to Texas. * 25 February – Jamaican general election, 2016: ** Voters in Jamaica go to the polls for a general election, with the

Jamaican Labour Party The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is one of the two major political parties in Jamaica, the other being the People's National Party (PNP). While its name might suggest that it is a social democratic party (as is the case for "Labour" parties in sever ...

, led by Andrew Holness, winning a narrow victory. * 1 May – Two

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

from the United States are found slain in separate areas of rural St. Mary parish. Randy Hentzel and Harold Nichols both worked for a Pennsylvania-based Christian charity called Teams for Medical Missions. * 30 September – Hurricane Matthew becomes a category-5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds up to 160 mph, the strongest hurricane to form over the Caribbean Sea since Hurricane Felix in 2007. * 2 October – Heavy rains from Hurricane Matthew's outer bands drench

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

and Jamaica, killing a Haitian fisherman.

Sports

*14 August –

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

: ** Athletics: Usain Bolt becomes the first man to win three gold medals in the men's 100 metres. **

Deaths

*26 January – Barrington Watson, painter (b. 1931). *3 February –

Mercedes Richards Mercedes Tharam Richards ( Kingston, 14 May 1955 – Hershey, 3 February 2016), née Davis, was a Jamaican astronomy and astrophysics professor. Her investigation focused on computational astrophysics, stellar astrophysics and exoplanets and ...

, astronomer and physicist (b. 1955). *27 February – Winston Blake, record producer (b. 1940). *23 March – Jimmy Riley, reggae musician (b. 1947) *28 March –

Yvette Francis-McBarnette Yvette Francis-McBarnette (May 10, 1926 – March 28, 2016) was an American pediatrician and a pioneer in treating children with sickle cell anaemia. Early life and education Francis-McBarnette was born in Kingston, Jamaica on 10 May 1926 to sch ...

, Jamaican-born American pediatrician (b. 1926) *9 April –

Derrick Rochester Derrick Austin Rochester, O.J. (c. 1940 – April 9, 2016) was a Jamaican politician, trade unionist, and member of the People's National Party (PNP). Rochester served as a member of the House of Representatives for South East St Elizabeth from ...

, politician and trade unionist, MP for South East St Elizabeth (1972–1980, 1989–2002), member of the Senate (1980–1983). (b. 1940) *19 April –

Lord Tanamo Joseph Abraham Gordon (2 October 1934 – 15 April 2016), better known as Lord Tanamo, was a Jamaican-Canadian singer and songwriter best known for his mento and ska work. Career Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston and raised in Denham To ...

, ska and mento musician (b. 1934). *6 June – Basil McKenzie, Olympic sprinter (b. 1926). *12 June –

Michelle Cliff Michelle Carla Cliff (2 November 1946 – 12 June 2016) was a Jamaican-American author whose notable works included ''Abeng'' (1985), '' No Telephone to Heaven'' (1987), and ''Free Enterprise'' (2004). In addition to novels, Cliff also wrote ...

, Jamaican-born American writer (b. 1946) *17 June – Sam Beaver King, 90, Jamaican-born British political activist,

Mayor of Southwark The London Borough of Southwark ( ) in South London forms part of Inner London and is connected by bridges across the River Thames to the City of London and London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council are ...

(1983), co-founder of the

Notting Hill Carnival The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual Caribbean festival event that has taken place in London since 1966

(b. 1926). *1 August –

Louis Marriott Louis Marriott (22 May 1935 – 1 August 2016) was a Jamaican actor, director, writer, broadcaster, the executive officer of the Michael Manley Foundation, and member of the Performing Right Society, Jamaica Federation of Musicians, and founding ...

, actor, director, writer and broadcaster (b. 1935). *3 August – Shakira Martin, 30, American-born Jamaican model and beauty queen,

Miss Jamaica Universe Miss Universe Jamaica (formerly Miss Jamaica Universe) is a beauty pageant that selects the contestant to represent Jamaica at the Miss Universe beauty pageant. History Although Jamaica started competing at the Miss Universe Pageant in 1961, ...

(2011) (b. 1986). *21 August –

Headley Bennett Felix Headley Bennett OD (29 May 1931 – 21 August 2016), also known as Deadly Headley, was a Jamaican saxophonist who performed on hundreds of recordings since the 1950s. Biography Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Bennett attended the Alpha Boys ...

, saxophonist (b. 1931). *8 September –

Prince Buster Cecil Bustamente Campbell (24 May 1938 – 8 September 2016), known professionally as Prince Buster, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer. The records he released in the 1960s influenced and shaped the course of Jamaican contemporary ...

, ska musician ("

One Step Beyond One Step Beyond may refer to: Music * ''One Step Beyond'' (Dungeon album) or the title song, 2004 * ''One Step Beyond'' (Jackie McLean album), 1963 * '' One Step Beyond...'', an album by Madness, or the title song (see below), 1979 * ''One Step ...

", "

Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel Capone (; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the ...

") (b. 1938). *29 September –

Nora Dean Letetia Leonora McLeanObituary
hkhfuneralservices.com; accessed 7 October 2016. (8 Janua ...

, singer (b. 1944). *18 October – Bobby Ellis, trumpeter (b. 1932). *16 November – Alex Stewart, Olympic boxer (

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

) (b. 1964).

References

{{Years in Jamaica 2010s in Jamaica Years of the 21st century in Jamaica Jamaica Jamaica