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Don Pepe, the father of Mexican reggae singer, Jah Fabio, says he appreciates the respect that Jamaica showed to his son, who loved the island so much that it was his wish to die here.
Jah Fabio, who had a long battle with kidney disease, passed away on Saturday in Tijuana, Mexico, mere weeks prior to his appearance at Reggae Sumfest.
“Jamaica welcomed my son with open arms. He loved Jamaica and we appreciate all the love and protection that Jamaica gave Fabio. Jamaica was his second home. He wanted to pass away in Jamaica,” the Spanish-speaking Don Pepe told The Gleaner via a translator.
Last Saturday was the closing of a three-day wedding celebration in Tijuana. Jah Fabio, who attended with his wife, had performed at the event on the Thursday and Friday.
“But he told my brother that he wasn’t feeling well and wasn’t planning to be there on Saturday,” translator, Anya Ochoa shared with The Gleaner.
She reported that on Saturday morning Jah Fabio started vomiting while staying at a hotel in the city, and his wife rushed him to the clinic, “but he arrived there with no vital signs”. Jah Fabio, who had been receiving dialysis for the past three years, reportedly died from a cardiac arrest. He was 43.
“His entire family is in shock ... devastated. We had a mass for him on Sunday in Tijuana, but his wife flew home to Guadalajara to be with their two daughters,” Ochoa disclosed.
Producer Delmar Drummond of Danger Zone Music Group, the label to which Jah Fabio was signed, told The Gleaner that he “has been crying all weekend”.
“I met Fabio in California and also in Tijuana and recognising his talent, I signed him to the Danger Zone Latino. He became like a brother to me. He has been sick ... I saw him fighting a battle. When he was in Jamaica we had to make sure that he got his dialysis three times per week. He was a fighter. He was booked and ready for Reggae Sumfest and Rototom Festival in Spain. We were talking every day,” Drummond shared.
He also spoke about a farming project, which involved Jah Fabio and his father supplying seeds. “I have a farm in St Elizabeth, and we were actively looking to get him a house in the parish,” Drummond said.
Don Pepe, who accompanied Fabio to Jamaica for the first time in 2024, when the singer had a memorable début in Kingston, exciting the crowd at the Bob Marley birthday celebration at Emancipation Park, added that Fabio wanted his legacy yo live on through his daughters.
Jah Fabio, whose real name is Favio Velasco, was in the music business for more than 20 years. He was remembered fondly by Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, who witnessed his stellar performance at Emancipation Park.
“He loved and embraced reggae music with a passion. He was a committed soldier to the cause. We will miss him at Reggae Sumfest. I know that his close colleagues and the music fraternity in Mexico are [as] deeply saddened as we are at his transition. My brother, rest well in the arms of Jah, who I know gave you the strength to keep going in spite of the challenges you faced,” Grange said.
The organisers of Reggae Sumfest said that they were “deeply saddened” by Jah Fabio’s passing and noted that “his energy, message, and unwavering love for reggae music touched hearts across the globe”.
On June 8, Jah Fabio was scheduled to perform at the Raztlán festival in Tijuana.
The organisers paid tribute to him as “a messenger of peace ... whose voice will continue to vibrate in every chord, on every stage, in every heart that ever heard him sing”.
English (US) ·