The Jamaican Minister of Culture, Olivia Grange, says she has been left saddened by the death of Bishop Dr. Ronald Blair, who passed away April 19 at age 86.

“We give thanks for and celebrate the life of Bishop Dr Ronald Blair who for an astounding 55 years until his retirement in 2017, served the New Testament Church of God in Jamaica while also preaching in other places in the Caribbean and in the United States, Canada, and England,” Grange said in a statement Friday evening.

“With his wife Evon and family beside him, Bishop Dr. Ronald Blair blazed a trail which not only involved his time in the pulpit but he was an author, a college lecturer, and served several community organizations,” she continued.

She noted that Blair served as chairman of the National Committee for Religious Service at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission and Chairman of LOVE 101 FM. He was conferred with the National Honours of The Order of Distinction in 1987 for outstanding work in religion and was Commander of that Order in 2017.