Former Amerindian Affairs Minister Vibert De Souza died on Saturday two days shy of his 74th birthday, following a prolonged heart condition, his brother said.

De Souza collapsed at about 6 p.m. at his Eccles, East Bank Demerara residence where he lived with his wife and daughter.

His brother Marco said he last saw his brother on December 23 when he complained of a pain that was apparently associated with a muscle strain.

De Souza, who hailed from Moruka, North West District, served as Amerindian Affairs Minister from 1992 to 2001.

A devout Roman Catholic, De Souza had also worked with several privately-owned businesses. He had been a member of the Guyana Organisation of Indigenous Peoples, and the Progressive Youth Organisation, the youth arm of the opposition People’s Progressive Party.

De Souza was also an avid musician.