For Sir Everton Weekes, it was particularly tough. He lost a friend, a "brother", someone he had known for close to 70 years.
Sir Everton paused yesterday morning to remember the man he played alongside for over three decades and with whom he shared many wonderful moments on and off the cricket field.
"He was a great man, a truly great man; he was one of those kinds of people that don't come around too often," Sir Everton said.
"It's not easy to accept what is inevitable, although we expect it sometimes, when it happens it still chokes you up inside.
"I want to wish Muriel, Michael and the rest of the family all the best at this time."
Sir Everton said he met Sir Clyde when he was 11 years old.
"The irony of it was that I met Keith, Clyde's brother, first. We never knew each other that well back then but our friendship formed when we played together.
"I don't recall exactly the first time we met, but we were very young I must have been about 11 . . . In the early days, I played for the army. He lived at the top of Baxter's Road and I was from the New Orleans area, so we lived close to each other."
Sir Clyde, one of the greatest players in the history of the game, died yesterday morning. Together with Sir Everton and Sir Frank Worrell he formed the famed 3Ws, who terrorised bowlers all over the globe in the 1940s and 1950s. More importantly, they brought great pride to the people of the West Indies, those living in the region and those living outside. One of the most famous moments came during the 1950 tour of England when they won at Lord's.
Sir Clyde first played for Barbados when just a 16-year-old schoolboy. In his international career he played 44 Tests, struck 15 centuries, and made 3 798 runs at an average of 56.68.
In 1947, Sir Clyde and Sir Frank put on 574 runs for the fourth wicket for Barbados against Trinidad and Tobago. Sir Clyde's share was 314. It remains the standing West Indian record for any wicket, and stamped both their marks on the game.
"He was a very good sportsman. Apart from cricket, he was a fine footballer and a great all-round athlete," said Sir Everton. "As everyone knows, he was a great batsman, and also bowled very well. He was a very good wicket-keeper and made an outstanding contribution in this area until an injury – I believe in Australia – put him out of that job. On tours we would play lawn tennis, and we had some great times. I will miss him.
"He was a great competitor and he was a very calm person. But beneath the calmness there was a great determination to win," he added.
"As I reflect, I remember when we were in India the late 1940s and Sir Frank was not with us. We kept saying how much (Sir) Frank would have enjoyed the conditions.
"Sir Clyde was generally a very, very fine person; very, very easy to get on with; and he had a great sense of humour. During his playing days he was very quiet compared to some of the others. After retirement he didn't mind having a drink and socialising, especially in India. Although India was said to be very dull, people were clinging to us, as we never had a dull moment."
Sir Everton added that as an administrator, Sir Clyde stood out.
"As an administrator, he was president of West Indies Cricket Board and then the International Cricket Council. He was very well respected and asked to do the job to lead the game. He was so good at that job that he was asked to continue for another term, and that means he must have been very highly respected."
Sir Everton added that batting with Sir Clyde was a delight and it was the contrasting styles which made the job easier for them and tough for the opposing captain.
"It was easier batting with him than with Sir Frank. His (Sir Clyde's) batting was straightforward. He hit most things in front. He was not a big cutter, and in long partnerships, the captains sometimes forgot that we were two players of different style. Sir Frank and myself had similar styles, but with Sir Clyde, he had a different style and that worked for us.
"He was a great man, a great friend, and a great cricketer. We have lost a great man . . . I have lost a great friend."