Faithless singer Maxi Jazz dies aged 65 in his sleep in south London

Maxi Jazz, the lead vocalist of British electronic music band Faithless and known as the voice in trance hits such as God Is a DJ and Insomnia, has died aged 65, the band says.

“He was a man who changed our lives in so many ways. He gave proper meaning and message to our music,” the other two core members of Faithless, Rollo and Sister Bliss, said in a statement on Facebook.

“He was also a lovely human being with time for everyone and a wisdom that was both profound and accessible.”

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The band said on Twitter that Jazz had died peacefully in his sleep in south London.

It did not give a cause of death.

Faithless’ 1995 song Insomnia features Maxi Jazz rapping about struggling to sleep. (EPA PHOTO) Credit: EPA

Jazz was born Maxwell Fraser in Brixton, south London, in 1957.

He helped form Faithless in 1995, which then grew into one of the most popular dance bands in the United Kingdom and around the world.

“He was the kindest man with such an aura about him. His words and performances touched so many of us,” British DJ MistaJam wrote of Jazz on Twitter.

Reggae band UB40 also remembered Jazz as a “lovely guy” as they recalled touring with him in 2017 with his band Maxi Jazz & The E-Type Boys.

Jazz was a lifelong supporter of Crystal Palace FC and was made an associate director of the football club in 2012.

Faithless’ 1995 song Insomnia, which features Jazz rapping about struggling to sleep with the refrain “I can’t get no sleep,” was voted the fifth-greatest dance record of all time by readers of dance music magazine Mixmag in 2013.

The song, which topped the dance charts in many European countries, made Jazz quip in a 2020 interview: “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.”

Faithless said in their statement: “He was a brilliant lyricist, a DJ, a Buddhist, a magnificent stage presence, car lover, endless talker, beautiful person, moral compass and genius.”

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