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Sat, Dec 24, 2022, 17:55
- He died last night at his South London home, the UK band confirmed.
Maxi Jazz, DJ, rapper and lead singer for UK electronic band Faithless, has died aged 65.
Faithless confirmed the news earlier today, December 24th, via social media. No cause of death was given. "We're heartbroken to say Maxi Jazz died peacefully at his home in South London last night," they wrote via Jazz's accounts. "He was a man who changed our lives in so many ways. He gave proper meaning and message to our music."
Born Maxwell Alexander Fraser in Brixton in 1957, Jazz began his career as a hip-hop DJ in the '80s before meeting Rollo Armstrong and cofounding Faithless, along with Sister Bliss and Jamie Catto, in 1995. His Buddhist faith was integral to his creativity, inspiring his socially conscious and politically engaged lyrics on hits such as "We Come 1," "God Is A DJ" and "Insomnia," which he said took him less than an hour to write and record.
"It was a big shock for the song to be such a huge hit, but an even bigger shock that it's still such a favourite," he told the Guardian in 2020. "If I had a quid for every time someone's come up going, 'I can't get no sleep,' I'd be living on the space station."
In addition to Faithless, Jazz collaborated with the likes of trance DJ Tiësto, Armstrong's sister Dido and pop star Robbie Williams, as well as fronting another band, Maxi Jazz & The E-Type Boys, from 2015 onwards. He was also a car fanatic, a lifelong fan of Crystal Palace F.C. and a member of Nichiren Buddhist organisation Soka Gakkai International.
"He was a lovely human being with time for everyone and a wisdom that was both profound and accessible," Faithless continued. "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."
Watch Jazz in action at Glastonbury Festival in 2002, and read some social media tributes.