Lorne Cooper lived his life just as so many of us have, doing the best that he could for those that he loved, all the while battling through his lifelong illness of sickle cell. When he was a child, the doctors told his mother that he wouldn't live past the age of 44, but what they didn't know was that Lorne was a trooper, and he didn't believe in people telling him what to do. So through his will and the will of God, Lorne lived the ripe age of 59.

So today, as Lorne's ship sails, we bid him farewell, knowing that he is in a better place—no more worries, no more illness, and most of all, no more pain.

Rest well, Lil Brother...till we all meet again!!

Lorne follows seven siblings who went before him: Yvonne Franklin, Marcia Cooper, Sandra Cooper, Velma Cooper, Caroline Joyce Cooper, Rossano Cooper, and James Carl Cooper, Jr., and his dad, James Carl Cooper, Sr.

Lorne leaves behind: his mother, Izetta Cooper; two brothers, Eric and Donald; and his two sisters, Victoria and Deborah. Lorne also has two sons, Romeo and Rome; two stepchildren; six grandchildren; as well as his ex-wife, Tina Cooper; and a host of cousins, nephews, nieces, one aunt, and two uncles.