Former Minister of Sports and Recreation Laumatiamanu Mathew Ringo Purcell has passed away.

A spokesperson for the Samoa Uniting Party (SUP), under which Laumatiamanu contested the Safata No. 2 seat in the 2025 election, confirmed that Laumatiamanu died on Sunday afternoon at around 2 pm. The cause of death has not been confirmed; he had been ill and in and out of the hospital for some time.

He was formerly the Associate Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure and was promoted during a cabinet reshuffle in 2023 to lead the then newly created Ministry of Sports and Recreation.

Former Prime Minister of Samoa and leader of the Samoa Uniting Party, Fiame Naomi Mataafa, extended her condolences, saying Laumatiamanu was a minister who served with integrity, discipline and respect, and described him as a man shaped by service.

“On behalf of the Samoa Uniting Party, I extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Eseta Purcell, and children, his family, his loved ones and all those whose lives were touched by his service,” she said. “I fondly remember Honourable Laumatiamanu as a man of calm strength and thoughtful words.”

“Honourable Laumatiamanu was a man shaped by service. From his years in the Samoa Police Service to his work in government, he lived by the Samoan principle ‘O le ala i le pule o le tautua’ — the pathway to leadership is service. He did not seek attention or praise; instead, he worked quietly, faithfully and with a deep sense of responsibility to the people of Samoa.”

Laumatiamanu was a former police officer. He served as Minister of Sports and Recreation from 2023 and later as caretaker minister in 2025. 

He first entered national politics as a Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) candidate in the 2016 General Election. He later ran again for public office in the 2021 General Election and also contested a by-election against HRPP candidate Nonu Lose Niumata.

A former student of Saint Joseph’s College, Laumatiamanu served with the Samoa Police for 20 years, rising to the rank of senior sergeant before resigning. He later worked for a decade with the Samoa Shipping Corporation and was also a former security advisor for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The Samoa Observer attempted to contact the family for comment but was unsuccessful. Details of funeral arrangements for the late Laumatiamanu Ringo Purcell have yet to be confirmed.