LONG-TIME VIRGINIA FRIENDS OF “CHIPPIE” AMONG MOURNERS PAYING THEIR FINAL RESPECTS

**Charlene Warner-Coleman and her husband Edward “Ed” Coleman at the funeral of their friend John “Chippie” Chipman on Saturday, September 28, at St. Agnes Church in Nassau, Bahamas.**

By OSWALD T. BROWN

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 30, 2019 — Charlene Warner-Coleman, Executive Producer of Tropical Beat Productions, Inc., based in Richmond, Virginia, and her husband Edward “Ed” Coleman were among the out-of-town mourners who attended the state-recognized funeral for legendary Bahamian entertainer John “Chippie” Chipman, MBE, on Saturday, September 28, at St Agnes Anglican Church on Baillou Hill Road in Nassau, Bahamas.

Mrs. Coleman developed a close affinity with The Bahamas – and indeed, the Caribbean generally – beginning shortly after she graduated from historic Howard University in Washington, D.C., with a degree sociology and psychology in 1967.

**Charlene Warner-Coleman participating in the Junkanoo funeral parade for legendary Bahamian entertainer John”Chippie” Chipman.**

At Howard she was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority and International Pals, which facilitates its members in meeting “people and travelers from other countries, practice languages with native speakers, make new friends and make your world more connected and fun,” according to information gleaned from the Internet. Warner-Coleman was also very active in student politics, US Congressional events and international affairs.

With such an educational background, Warner Coleman previously was a Public Relations Consultant with the Richmond Times-Dispatch and a Market Research Manager for Nestles’, Jamaica Milk before founding Tropical Beat Productions, Inc. in 1989.

Tropical Beat (R) TV is one of the original Reggae and World Beat TV shows featuring some of the hottest Reggae, Salsa, Soca and Worldbeat artists in videos, concerts and interviews on locations “with some of the hottest entertainers from such places as Jamaica, Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas, Swaziland, Cape Town, South Africa, Cannes, France, Ghana, Togo, Swaziland and many more tropical islands,” according to information on the Internet; hence, the close professional friendship Warner-Coleman developed over the years with the late John “Chippie” Chipman and a number of other Bahamian entertainers.

Warner-Coleman is also President of Popcorn Media Productions, Inc., established in 1979, which publishes Popcorn Magazine for Children.

Commenting on Chippie’s funeral on his Facebook page, Edward “Ed” Coleman stated, “Charlene and I were honored to have participated in this event. The Chipman Family have made us a part of their family, and we love them, as they love us!!!”