Max Romeo, an iconic Jamaican Reggae artist with a worldwide following, has died at the age of 80.
The news was first shared on his social media, with a statement confirming that he passed away from heart complications in Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica.
It reads: ‘It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Max. We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love and tributes, and kindly ask for privacy at this time. Legends never die.’
One of the most influential reggae artists in history, Romeo’s biggest hits include War Ina Babylon and Chase The Devil, the latter of which was famously sampled by The Prodigy and Jay Z.
His hit song Wet Dream exploded up UK charts in 1968, becoming a Top 10 single for a staggering 25 weeks despite being banned by the BBC.
Romeo repeatedly claimed that the song was merely about sleeping in a room with a leaky roof, despite the fact that it contained the lyric ‘give the fanny to me.’
After the success of Wet Dream, the musician released two of his most iconic albums in quick succession: A Dream in 1969 and Let The Power Fall in 1971.
But it wasn’t until he released War Ina Babylon in 1976 that he became in international star, with the songs Chase The Devil and War Ina Babylon managing to break into the mainstream.
In 1978, he moved to New York City and co-wrote and starred in the Reggae musical.
Two years later, he did backing vocals on the Rolling Stones’ Emotional Rescue track Dance, and Keith Richards later co-produced and played on Romeo’s record Holding Out My Love To You.
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‘To hear of his passing is quite shocking,’ said the artist’s lawyer, Errol Michael Henry. ‘He was a perfect gentleman, and a gentle soul. He had great love for his family, and he was a legend in his own right. You couldn’t meet a nicer person – which makes the loss more difficult.’
Romeo was born Maxwell Livingston Smith in 1944 and was just 14 when he left home to work on a sugar plantation, before he decided to pursue music at 18 when he won a local talent competition.
He began his musical career in Kingston in the mid-’60s. He was originally a part of the vocal group The Emotions, who had a major impact on the Jamaican music scene at the time.
Upon embarking on his solo career, he began to use music as an outlet for his political frustrations.
As a result, in the 1970s his songs came to be closely associated with the Jamaican social democracy movement.
His song Let the Power Fall on I became a ballad for Jamaica’s People’s National party during its successful 1972 election campaign, further cementing Romeo’s stardom.
In 2023, Romeo filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group and Polygram Publishing, Inc. for $15million (£11.4m) claiming that he had not been given royalties for his work for over 50 years.
‘After 47 years, I have exhausted every resource available to me to get this matter rectified,’ Romeo said in 2023 statement after DancehallMag broke news of the lawsuit.
‘I had to sit to the side as my most eminent piece of work was exploited without proper compensation. I have seen and heard my music and voice being used in numerous commercial ventures and have only reaped from the opportunity to perform these songs for my fans live in concert.’
A strict rastafarian, many of Romeo’s song reference the religion.
He said in an interview with Sound System Culture: ‘And I made a pledge to Jah that every time I open my mouth, I must be giving praise. Every time I move my hand, it must be something positive. But it’s always about Rastafari. And I cling to that until today. That’s my faith.
‘And if it was money alone without Rastafari, it wouldn’t work. You have to have money in one hand, and God in [the other]. God without money don’t work. Money without God? That’s even worse. You see? That’s my whole concept.’
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