It has been said that people who are the top performers in any profession are passionately committed to what they do and are insanely confident about their ability to pull it off.

We don’t think we would be going beyond the boundary of truth to say that Ms Leonie Forbes was one of those individuals. In fact Ms Fae Ellington — the highly respected and talented artiste, broadcaster, teacher, and cultural historian — basically said as much in her reflection on the life of Ms Forbes in yesterday’s edition of this newspaper.

Leonie Forbes, she said, was “the consummate artiste” and “an exquisite performer”. Everyone who knew Miss Forbes, saw her on stage, or on the silver screen, or heard her on the radio, or television would agree with those characterisations of the woman who, indeed, was the doyenne of Jamaican theatre.

Sadly, Jamaica lost this precious daughter of the soil on Tuesday afternoon. And while we mourn with her family and friends, we would be remiss if we didn’t celebrate her life — a life well lived and which, through her enormous talents, she enriched this country, and others, in the spheres of the performing arts and media.

It was obvious from her early days at the now defunct Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC) that Ms Forbes possessed the talent to excel in broadcasting. As her biography tells us, she was one of the first voices on the radio, along with Messrs Dennis Hall and Desmond Chambers, as well as Misses Erica Allen and Beverly Anderson, who all grew to become giants in local media.

Obviously Ms Forbes used the six years she spent studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in England to burnish her talents, as she appeared in several of the academy’s productions, including the pantomime Cinderella and played in Unknown Woman of Arras, Days of the Lion, and Antony and Cleopatra — one of William Shakespeare’s greatest plays — in which she was the lead female actor.

An indication that Ms Forbes was destined for theatrical prowess came in 1965 when a London critic, Mr Kenneth Tynan, described as “bewitchingly ingenious” her performance as a crystal ball trainee in the Lloyd Reckord production Busha Blue Beard.

Of course, people who came to share the stage with her in later years, as well as her audiences, had a front row seat to that skill, and her fellow thespians speak glowingly about her professionalism, both on and off stage.

Indeed, Ms Ellington noted that Ms Forbes was a method actor and was always at the theatre well ahead of call time.

Ms Dahlia Harris, herself an actress, broadcaster, and playwright, told us that Ms Forbes set the bar at the highest level.

“I was astonished that she consistently hit that mark and even more amazed that she was willing to help others achieve that standard,” Ms Harris said.

That high bar was easily one of the qualities that endeared Ms Forbes to Jamaicans and the people with whom she came in contact worldwide. Notably, she was well-respected for her penchant for helping younger artistes and broadcasters without publicising her counsel, as she never allowed her fame to strip her of her humility.

Jamaica and the world are most fortunate to have had 85 years of this wonderful human being.

Leonie Evadne Forbes, born June 14, 1937, sits in the pantheon of the all-time greats.