THE LIFE of Hugh Crosskill Jr., journalist and broadcaster, who succumbed to a gunshot wound on Friday, aged 47, was a paradox.
Mr. Crosskill first entered the world of media at age 18 as a sportscaster at the then Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation. He very quickly established himself as a very hard worker with a sense of professionalism.
It was therefore not surprising when in 1983, the Caribbean News Agency in an attempt to provide news to the electronic media, appointed him to establish and head CanaRadio based in Barbados.
Five years later the prestigious British Broadcasting Corporation, (BBC) recruited him to head and bring new life to its Caribbean Service. It is at the BBC that Mr. Crosskill made his true mark on journalism and broadcasting. The flagship programme, BBC Caribbean Report, produced in London became the source for information on the Caribbean, demonstrating not only the power and influence of the metropolis but also Mr. Crosskill's abilities as a journalist.
He was a first-class interviewer with an incisive style backed by an analytical mind, which enabled him to strip away the fluff and the bombast without resorting to sensationalism or ridicule, to get to the core of an issue.
He returned to Jamaica in 1996 to the position of general manager of Radio Jamaica. His stint there was, however, short-lived as his personal demon of addiction to cocaine and crack-cocaine began to get the better of him.
The valiant and sustained efforts of his colleagues in the media and others to help proved futile as he vacillated between periods of exceptional brilliance as on First Edition on KLAS FM, and Nationwide then on Hot 102, and surrender to the lure of his addiction.
When he took to the streets, as he did more regularly since the beginning of this year, the seeds of his demise were sown, as he was ill-equipped both by background and temperament to deal with the meanness of those streets.
His was a life of tremendous accomplishment at an early age and so much unrealised potential. In the end cocaine fed the tragic flaw that was his undoing in violence and death.
