Adrian’s Obituary Adrian Anthony Clarke was born to Clairmonte and Maintz on 10 April 1966 in London, England. The family lived in Tulse Hill, South London, where Adrian attended Brockwell Primary & Junior Schools followed by Dick Sheppard Secondary School (High School) until he emigrated to the United States in 1982. At the age of three, he took note of his father’s taste in music and mirrored that passion.
Many needles were destroyed in the Clarke household compliments of Adrian but he was afforded continued access to both the vinyl and the stereogram. Clairmonte would continue to buy needles and expose his children to the burgeoning Ska and Rocksteady music and culture in England. There were other areas of interest where he excelled, i.e., the South Lambeth Scouts, swimming and table tennis and, being English, there was football.
He competed in a Coca-Cola Skills event and won an award, which was presented to him by Tom Conteh (a famous British pugilist). That fever would become a lifetime passion which would later be shared as a volunteer girls coach, a teammate in adult leagues, an accomplished FIFA player, a lifetime fan of Manchester United, and as a global fan with other World Cup revelers in Brazil. Upon arrival in Brooklyn, New York, he enrolled at Thomas Jefferson High School.
The long Englishman with the deep accent and mellow demeanor quickly became a decorated member of the track team. He found a tight knit Caribbean community on New Jersey Avenue, the block to which they relocated. He got to revisit his passion for playing music – now murdering sounds versus needles – across the street in the makeshift “basement studio” in the home of Colin and Dunston.
They had a group of friends that shared a passion for cars, music, football and life, in an East New York neighborhood that was better known for its difficulties. Adrian, like his brethren, navigated his high school years successfully. He enrolled at Syracuse University but decided to leave after a few semesters.
Never one to be stagnant, he took courses at Baruch until he decided his next move, SUNY Albany. Adrian excelled academically and socially in Albany. During the New Jersey Avenue basement sessions, the DJ handle “Cockney” was birthed.
Adrian affectionately referred to himself as DJ Cockney and boasted of being the ranking Cockney, as in number one. On Albany’s WCDB 90FM, his weekly radio show was a draw for students and residents of the Capital region who loved Reggae music during the explosion of Dancehall and Lover’s Rock in the late 1980s and early 1990s. DJ Cockney had arrived and was ranked.
Aided by his best mate Rohan, Cockney played many dance halls and parties, and would never miss his radio show. With the music, came the further exploration of not only his Caribbean roots but his understanding of African American history, and the African Diaspora as a whole. In the Fall of 1989, Adrian was initiated in the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
He later was recognized as a charter member of the Rho Sigma Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha at SUNY Albany. Adrian graduated from Albany with a BA in Communications and would go on to pursue a graduate degree in Education at Mercy College. Professionally, he worked for State Farm Insurance, then with Verizon for the last eighteen years.
He maintained a reggae show on Thumbs Up Radio until he fell ill. Adrian had many successes but none greater than where passion and love collided. At a wedding he was not scheduled to work, he impressed another unscheduled guest, Michelle Chambers, who could later boast, “last night a DJ saved my life”.
In Michelle, he found an understanding partner and soul mate. Almost two years to the date later, they were wed on October 12, 1996. They lost their second child, Makayla, after carrying her full term but share the blessing of two beautiful daughters, Monet and Addison.
Adrian was always a solid person to family and friends but in making a family with Michelle, he found his purpose. He was loyal, consistent, patient, friendly, strong, outgoing but sometimes reserved, and always kind. Monet’s friends referred to him as Black Jesus for more than just his beautiful dread locks.
He endeavored to be supportive and never wanted to let his extended family down. As accessible as he was to others, his girls never felt deprived. In 2016, Adrian was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma.
Bolstered by his desire to be there for his girls, he attacked the cancer with the same competitive spirit as he approached sports and sound clashes. With the loving support of family and friends, he won the first bout and returned to a full life in 2017. In 2018 when it returned, once again his resolve and support network helped him to triumph.
Unfortunately, while in rehabilitation, he suffered a series of setbacks that took a toll on his body. Adrian fought hard and managed one last victory; he passed peacefully after his wife wished him a happy anniversary. Adrian Anthony Clarke is survived by his wife, Michelle, their daughters, Monet and Addison; his Mother, Maintz; his sisters: Angela, Susan, and Alana; his brothers, Richard and Justin; and, nieces, nephews, cousins, and many extended family members.
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