(Image source from: News Americas Now)

The African American-born president William R. "Bill" Howard, of the Brooklyn-based West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA), was found dead in his Brooklyn home early Sunday morning, relatives said.

The 75-year-old Howard according to his family's statement had passed away in his sleep.

Howard has died less than a month before the massive West Indian American Day Carnival Parade takes place on Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway on Labour Day, September 3.

"The body was found not long after 5:00 a.m. The Coroner's report indicated he died of natural causes," the statement added. "We are all devastated. We loved Bill dearly and will miss him terribly. We would ask that our privacy is respected as we grieve during this very difficult time."

Howard had served on the Board of Trustees for the City University of New York (CUNY). He managed Chisholm's personal finances, as well as the finances for her political campaigns, his family said.

"I met four presidents through Mrs. Chisholm - both Bushes (George H. W. and George W), President Jimmy Carter and President Clinton, Robert Kennedy. The entire United States Supreme Court, anyone who was anybody in Washington, D.C., came by to shake Chisholm’s hand," Howard once said in a statement. "That changed my life entirely."

Howard subsequently had a celebrated career in business and government, including a stint as a deputy trustee in the U.S. Justice Department. He also worked in a decades-long job as vice president for finance with the Equitable Life Assurance Society, where he was involved with making multi-million-dollar loans to various municipalities, corporations and individuals.

News of his death spread like wildfire in the Caribbean community in New York and has "shaken the political and non-profit world," the family said.

The family said funeral arrangements for Howard will be "forthcoming".

By Sowmya Sangam