Max Romeo, the reggae musician best known for his songs “War Ina Babylon” and “Chase the Devil,” died on Friday, April 11. He was eighty.
His official Facebook page revealed his demise on Saturday, April 12. “It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Max,” the statement stated. “We are truly appreciative of the outpouring of love and tributes and respectfully request privacy at this time. Legends never die.
Following Romeo’s death, his attorney, Errol Michael Henry, told The Guardian that the news was “quite shocking.” ” He was a true gentleman and a lovely spirit. He cared deeply for his family and was a legend in his own way. You couldn’t have met a better person, which makes the loss much tougher.
According to The Guardian, Romeo suffered from a cardiac problem.
Romeo was a prolific artist, having released dozens of albums and even more singles in his lifetime.
According to Billboard, the reggae musician was born Maxwell Livingston Smith in Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica, on November 22, 1944. Romeo began his career as a member of the music group The Emotions before going solo in the late 1960s.
His first major solo hit was the controversial song “Wet Dream” in 1969, which was banned from BBC radio stations despite being a British top ten smash.
His songs eventually assumed a more political tone. According to Rolling Stone, the 1971 song “Let the Power Fall on I” was used as the campaign theme song for future Prime Minister Michael Manley. The following year, Manley would secure his election.
In 1977, Romeo relocated to New York. He collaborated with The Rolling Stones there. The 1980 Emotional Rescue song “Dance (Pt. 1)” features Romeo. Meanwhile, Keith Richards ended up playing guitar on Romeo’s 1981 album Holding Out My Love to You. Romeo eventually returned to Jamaica to continue making songs.
Romeo is well known for his album War Ina Babylon, which was pivotal to the roots reggae movement. Jay-Z, Cage the Elephant, and The Prodigy have all sampled “Chase the Devil,” one of his most popular tracks.
He told the BBC in 2011 that he saw the devil in the 1976 song as the “negative within your psyche, just as God is the positive within your psyche.” “Chasing the devil” boils down to “chasing the negative out of your mind and letting it become controlled by the positive.”
In a 2014 interview with the Jamaica Observer, Romeo remarked on his 70th birthday, “I aim to reach 100, but if I get to 90, I will be satisfied.” 2019 saw the release of Romeo’s final studio album, Words From the Brave.
Romeo’s final Instagram post had him performing with his daughters Xana and Azizzi during the Wickie Wackie Music Fest in Bull Bay, Jamaica.