Cablevision, has died of cancer.

Mr. McDonald and his brother, Bill, were instrumental in rescuing Cablevision from near bankruptcy in 1987 when the company had debts of over $1 million.

They pumped more than $6 million into the company to build a successful cable system on the Island.

Their direction of the business proved so successful that Cablevision reported its first ever profit in 1990, earning $551,888.

Ironically, the upswing in the firm's fortunes coincided with dissatisfaction among a group of rebel shareholders.

Some local shareholders questioned the legality of an agreement which automatically gave the McDonalds 60 percent of all Cablevision profits.

Rebels claimed the Americans illegally controlled the enterprise in breach of a rule which restricts foreign ownership of a local company to 40 percent of its stock.

At the time of his death on July 9, 1993, after a long illness, Mr. McDonald was a defendant in a lawsuit which shareholder Mr. Jeff Conyers had brought against the firm and its directors.

At Cablevision's stormy and bitter AGM last year, Mr. McDonald, who chaired the meeting, walked out in disgust after being criticised by some shareholders.

Afterwards, he said: "At the AGMs every year up until 1990, while the system was under construction and no profits were available, there was no discontent.

At the first AGM where there was a profit, this discontent arises.'' Mr. McDonald was proud of his achievements with Cablevision, which reported an increased profit of $771,525 for 1992.

His local lawyer, Mr. Alec Cooper, said yesterday: "With his brother, Mr.

McDonald was a driving force behind Cablevision's revival.

"His death has come as a shock to the system. I'm very saddened to report the loss of a very dynamic and nice individual.'' With his brother, Mr. McDonald owned and operated cable television ventures in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as Bermuda, from headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama.