Maxi Jazz, the lead singer of English dance band Faithless has died aged 65.
The singer passed away peacefully in his sleep. No cause of death has been given.
On social media his bandmates paid tribute to his life and work, sharing their heartbreak over his passing.
“We are heartbroken to say Maxi Jazz died last night,” the band wrote.
“He was a man who changed our lives in so many ways. He gave proper meaning and message to our music.
“He was also a lovely human being with time for everyone and a wisdom that was both profound and accessible.
“It was an honour and, of course, a true pleasure to work with him.
“He was a brilliant lyricist, a DJ, a Buddhist, a magnificent stage presence, car lover, endless talker, beautiful person, moral compass and genius.”
Maxi Jazz, alongside Sister Bliss, was the face of the English dance band who have released seven albums of material between their debut in 1995 and their most recent album that came out in 2020.
The 2020 album All Blessed was the first that did not feature the distinctive spoken word vocals of Maxi Jazz. In the liner notes Jazz is thanked for “passing the baton”.
Born Maxwell Fraser, he first started work in the music industry as a DJ founding the Soul Food Cafe System in 1984. He found success on London’s pirate radio stations and toured with a live band as the Soul Food Cafe Band supporting including Jamiroquai.
He later went on to work with producer Jah Wobble on his Invaders of the Heart album. In the early 1990’s he met producer Rollo Armstrong and alongside Jamie Cato and Sister Bliss formed Faithless.
The band’s hit singles include Insomnia, God is a DJ, Salva Mea, Weapons of Mass Destruction and Muhammad Ali.
Maxi Jazz also recorded the charity single Dance4Life with Tiesto, it raised awareness about HIV. He also contributed to the collaborative album 1 Giant Leap performing My Culutre alongside Robbie Williams.
OIP Staff
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