Former Pepsi boss dies snorkelling at Stingray City
Former PepsiCo CEO Roger Enrico
(CNS): A 71-year-old US citizen residing in the Cayman Islands died yesterday at Stingray City after snorkelling at the popular attraction, police said Wednesday. The RCIPS has confirmed that he was Roger Enrico, a former chief executive officer of PepsiCo. Around 2pm Wednesday, the 911 Communications Centre received a call that a man had encountered difficulties while snorkelling and was receiving CPR on the boat.
Police said that the RCIPS Joint Marine Unit vessel Tornado responded to the area within minutes. Officers took Enrico on board and continued to perform CPR while he was conveyed to an ambulance waiting near the George Town Yacht Club. The police helicopter also responded to the area.
Despite the efforts of persons on board the private boat and first responders, he was pronounced dead at George Town Hospital just after 3pm, police said.
Enrico worked for Pepsi for 30 years, helping the company to compete with Coca-Cola by developing the Pepsi Challenge in which random people took a blind taste test and preferred Pepsi to Coke. He later signed up a number of celebrities to help sell sodas, including Michael Jackson, Madonna and Cindy Crawford.
He was born 11 November 1944, in Chisholm, Minnesota. He was married to Rosemary Margo and had one son, Aaron.
He is the second person to die in a water related death in less than a week. A 29-year-old newly wed from Cincinnati died after snorkelling in East End at the weekend. So far this year, 11 people have lost their lives in Cayman waters.
Category: Local News
All I say is that I believe when Caymanians controlled local watersports companies there were not so many deaths in that industry. I’m sure there are statistics which can determine whether or not my belief is correct.
CNS does not want to publish my comments on this because they think its xenophobic. It is not. Just check the facts.
Why the fear to hire lifeguards around the island especially in the major tourist locations- Rum Point, 7MB etc.?
Every scuba instructor is trained in rescue techniques and CPR.
-Isme
So very sorry for Mr.Enrico’s family. May he rest in peace.
One would need to be truly sick in the head to “dislike” this post. What do you do for kicks, pick the wings off flies?
I hope that at least one of these deaths has had an autopsy report performed to at least determine the cause of death. I find it hard to believe that you just “drown” snorkeling…
Who said he drowned? CPR – consistent with a heart attack, not unheard of at all with people who are elderly and/or unused to physical activity. He was 71 after all.
71 is hardly elderly. You much be 30 to think that. You won’t when you are 70!
No, 71 is not terribly old, but heart issues are the number one killer of people over 65, so it’s not a crazy assumption.
Seriously, on what basis, exactly, could you possibly underpin such a belief? Are you some kind of “drowning” expert? Please think (and then think some more) before posting following such a tragic incident. A beloved husband and father has lost his life.
Very sad and sincere condolences to the family and friends.
I hope we as a nation take the time to consider the causes of each successive and unfortunate marine death and evaluate if there was anything that the Cayman Islands should be doing differently – ie. is there a shortage of, or distribution problem with, EMS equipment or expertise that might have altered these outcomes? I can only imagine that waiting for a GT Hospital ambulance in places like East End or Northside with Shetty Hospital’s stabilization equipment just down the road is about as nonsensical as it gets.
Maybe we can do better to accelerate people that need urgent help to life saving equipment and aid as soon as possible.
Sorry, but I do not believe that taking him to Health City would have made any magic happen. Sometimes dead is just dead.
So sad and.my condolences to the families of those who died recently in water related accidents. Cayman tourism and politicians need to address this issue urgently and start by having life guard stations at stingray city, rum point beach, various locations on SMB and other popular snorkeling areas in Cayman. I understand that it’s a risk on the part of the individual to go snorkeling yet we have to start finding solutions to avoid more fatalities from occurring.
Eh, I disagree, lifeguards everywhere? Nah. I do think the resorts in EE need to be very clear about the current if you swim off too far out there. Maybe signs in the rooms or a safety brief handed to each visitor upon check in?
Stick a pin. The people venturing out on dive or snorkel adventures should have to inform the desk of any medical illness or medication that is being taken. Sometimes, there are underlying problems that results in their demise.
Condolences to all.
Roger was a long time open water certified SCUBA diver, who has been diving in Cayman for at least 25 years (not just as a tourist but as a resident with a home). I wasnt there, but from what I personally know of Roger, he was probably the fittest, healthiest, most water capable person on this simple snorkeling excursion.
Roger was a good man with an impressive history. He headed Pepsi for decades and playfully won the cola wars in the 80s (great book he wrote on this). Later,he headed a prominent entertainment company.
Closer to home, he quietly helped a lot of Caymanians with little fanfare (in the mold of Mrs Olde, the late Ben Torchinsky, and others).
Unfortunately, these things happen. A businessman, philanthropist, son of blue collar immigrants, a nature lover, and Vietnam vet, who chose Cayman as his second home. In his honor, I shall enjoy a Pepsi float tonight in a frosty mug!
It is so sad that we live in such a rich society whereby the rich flaunt their riches and government boasts their surplus and yet we don’t have life guards or medics at these popular tourist spot and public beaches. CNS you should also made note of the young man that died earlier in the year on the public beach. XXXXX
CNS: I deleted your last sentence/question because it was idiotic and sickening in equal measure. What kind of twisted mind would even ask that? The figure given was for water related deaths. The very tragic death of the young man you are referring to was a result of an asthma attack.
What exactly is happening here. I am not blaming anyone but really I think the time has come for all stake holders to ,come together and have a serious discussion about these misadventures in our waters. I have not even heard any comments from the government on these issues. This is becoming quite puzzling.
Maybe it’s time for Cayman to actually start enforcing boat captains to be certified in boat handling and Emergency First response. Stingray sandbar is becoming a joke.
There is that ‘enforce’ word again. Wot dat is?
Any ( and all ) Scuba industry agency certified instructors , that operate also as boat captains , are emergency and first response trained in the areas of rescue , CPR and in-water / out of water accident management. It is a requirement of their certification that they not only pass these rescue & first aid skills assessment’s, but also stay actively up to date with their certification, so that they may seek inclusion in a required insurance policy coverage. All of this has nothing to do with any proposed local future enforcement that you refer to , as it is required by the scuba certification agency , most of which are U.S. based. I am referring to scuba industry certifying agencies such as P.A.D.I , N.A.U.I , amongst others.
It would however be ideal if local boat ‘Operators’ that act in the role of captaining vessels for commercial purposes, seek similar skills in first aid and accident management. In lieu of them being certified and insured scuba instructors, I believe that many of the independent operators do possess a level of this training.
You will never hear from them on this either. This do nothing government and those that preceded it cannot focus on simple issues of improving the quality of life in these islands by providing effective public education, suitable health facilities, capable policing (and do not place it all on Baines) and a cultural transformation within Cayman away from the lazy, noncompetitive nature of its indigenous people.
If they actually served the public interest and stopped serving their own, something it actually get done or fix around here.
I beg your pardon but please bear in mind that probably 90% of water sports, hotel management and tourism services is unfortunately out of the hands of locals. Having said that I fully agree that the government need to have some very serious discussions and to try to get a handle on this.
i think it is criminal to pass one hospital near the scene of the accident to go to another 20+ miles away. Most cities make is mandatory to use the closest hospital. You take the victim to the nearest health facility emergency unit. How competent are the ambulance staff to keep the person alive until the GT hospital is reached?
I think the relatives should sue the govt. for this insane policy.
Get a handle on what exactly? Way more people die from car accidents per capital. Where is the outrage about driving in Cayman? The accidental death rate in watersports is incredibly low and not out of line with any international rates. We don’t even know what the cause of death was in this case so how can you get a handle on something when you don’t even know what that something is?!
-Isme
May I ask why you don’t call for an inquiry every time there is a traffic related death? Or how about an inquiry every time someone falls in the bathroom? We need to get to the bottom of all these deaths. Perhaps there should be a bathroom attendants at every washroom on the island? Maybe we need an inquiry every time someone gets a chicken bone stuck in their throat. Servers should have to warn people about the dangers of chicken bones and all customers in restaurants must sign waivers and medical disclosures before eating.
I was once an employee of a resort where a guest was refused diving due to a heart condition. He dropped dead after dinner while dancing with his wife. Massive heart attack. Guess how many people called for an inquiry into the dangers of dancing. That’s right. Zero.
The fact is folks, there has been no detailed cause of death or explanation of the events given. Spewing advice and recommendations based on not understanding his cause of death is just plain silly and disrespectful.
-Isme