Mexican Reggae singer Jah Fabio dies at 43, weeks before Reggae Sumfest performance

Born Favio Velasco, the beloved artist had long battled kidney disease and had been undergoing dialysis for the past three years. His death came suddenly, just weeks before he was scheduled to perform at Reggae Sumfest in Jamaica—an event he had long dreamed of gracing.

Jah Fabio had been in Tijuana for a three-day wedding celebration, where he performed on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday morning, he began vomiting at his hotel and was rushed to a clinic by his wife. He was pronounced dead on arrival, with cardiac arrest listed as the cause.

A committed ambassador of reggae music in Latin America, Jah Fabio spent more than two decades promoting Jamaican culture across the Spanish-speaking world. His authentic embrace of reggae earned him admiration far beyond Mexico’s borders.

Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, expressed her condolences in a heartfelt social media tribute: