Wendy Kalicha­ran, a lead­ing fig­ure in San Fer­nan­do’s car­ni­val, has died af­ter a pro­longed ill­ness.

Kalicha­ran passed away at her home in San Fer­nan­do on Thurs­day. She was known for her decades-long con­tri­bu­tion to mas and for co-found­ing Kalicha­ran Mas with her hus­band, Ivan Kalicha­ran, in 1983.

Her death was con­firmed by her daugh­ter, Ayana Kallicha­ran. Speak­ing to Guardian Me­dia, close friend Rose­marie Ku­ru-Jages­sar of Jages­sar and As­so­ciates Mas Band, ex­tend­ed con­do­lences to the fam­i­ly. She said San Fer­nan­do had lost an­oth­er Car­ni­val icon.

“Wendy’s con­tri­bu­tions went be­yond lead­ing a band,” Ku­ru-Jages­sar said. “She was al­ways present on the Car­ni­val stage and won the San Fer­nan­do Queen ti­tle sev­en times.”

Kalicha­ran Mas be­came one of the lead­ing bands in South Trinidad, win­ning the San Fer­nan­do Band of the Year for its 31st time in 2025.

Kalicha­ran’s chil­dren, Aaron and Ayana, now lead the band and have con­tin­ued the fam­i­ly tra­di­tion.