All the speculation and secrecy about whether the prime minister of St Lucia, Sir John Compton, is alive or dead has finally come to an end. It is now official -- in an address to the nation Friday night, Stephenson King, acting prime minister informed the nation of Sir John's passing away. Sir John George Melvin Compton, KBE, died at about 6.50 pm on Friday at the Tapion Hospital where he has been since his return to the island from the La Menard Hospital in Martinique on Wednesday. The 82-year-old Prime Minister succumbed to his illness with his family at his bedside. The acting prime minister has announced that the nation will begin a two-week period of mourning commencing on Saturday and all flags will be flown at half staff for that same period. King said a special committee is already in place to plan the funeral arrangements for Sir John. This committee is headed by former prime minister Dr Michael Pilgrim. No date was announced for the funeral but Acting Prime Minister King said there would be an official two week mourning period for the man labeled "father of the nation" by islanders. Sir John began his political career as an independent candidate in 1954, when he won a seat in parliament. He led St Lucia into independence from Britain on February 22, 1979. He had served as Chief Minister from 1964-1967, Premier from 1967-1979 and Prime Minister in 1979 and again from 1982-1996. After Sir John retired from active politics in 1996, his United Workers Party was in the wilderness for ten years. Then, prior to the December 11, 2006 general elections, Compton once again took over the helm of the UWP, and led the party to an eleven-seat surprise victory. "Age is not a factor here, I am not here running for the Olympics. Age is really in the state of mind, I am giving my experience and my intelligence that God gave to me. I am not going for a marathon, I am not going for the Olympics," Sir John said shortly after his victory in December last year. He was sworn in as prime minister on December 15, 2006. Reprinted from Caribbean Net News caribbeannetnews.com