Rihanna’s officially ‘right excellent,’ named Barbados hero

By DÁNICA COTO
Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The eastern Caribbean island of Barbados has honored Rihanna as a national hero at a historic moment for the nation. The government on Tuesday honored the singer with the title of “the right excellent” as the island bade farewell to Queen Elizabeth II and celebrated becoming a republic. Prime Minister Mia Mottley noted that the pop star came from humble origins and was born less than a mile from where the ceremony was taking place. She congratulated the singer for “commanding the imagination of the world” and praised “her extraordinary commitment to the land of her birth.”