Maxi Jazz dead: ‘Genius’ Faithless singer dies aged 65

Band behind hits including ‘Insomnia’ shared the news on their official social media, paying tribute to ‘a man who changed our lives in so many ways’

Maxi Jazz, the lead singer of electronic band Faithless, has died aged 65.

The rapper and musician, real name Maxwell Fraser, was a core member of the group formed in 1995 alongside Rollo and Sister Bliss.

Together, they released a number of hits including “Insomnia” and “We Come 1”, with the former selling more than a million copies. “Insomnia” is regarded by many as one of the greatest dance tracks of all time.

A statement shared on the musician's Instagram said: “We are heartbroken to say Maxi Jazz died peacefully at his home in south London last night.

“He was a man who changed our lives in so many ways. He gave proper meaning and message to our music.

“He was also a lovely human being with time for everyone and a wisdom that was both profound and accessible. It was an honour and, of course , a true pleasure to work with him.

“He was a brilliant lyricist, a DJ, a Buddhist, a magnificent stage presence, car lover, endless talker, beautiful person, moral compass and genius.

“Rollo, Sister Bliss and The E-Type Boys.”

In an interview with The Guardian in 2020, Faithless explained how the original version of “Insomnia” had been nine-minutes long.

Maxi Jazz said he’d received a call from Rollo asking if he could write some lyrics for the track. “I spent 20 minutes with a pad jotting down my thoughts, finished the lyrics in the studio the following evening, then spent about 25 minutes putting the vocals down,” he said. “That was it.”

He explained that the lyrics had been from personal experience: “I didn’t suffer from insomnia, but I’d just had an abscess on my tooth. It was so painful it would keep me awake.

“The lines about having no electricity and reaching for the pen in the darkness were also from real life. I had an electricity meter and when the money ran out you’d get six or seven pounds of credit and then, ‘Boom!’, the lights would go out. So I used to write by candlelight.”

He also revealed that MTV had “forced” the band to change the opening line to “Deep in the bosom of the gentle night”, originally “I only smoke weed when I need to”, because they were worrried it was too graphic. They managed to keep the lyric “Making mad love to my girl on the heath/ Tearing off tights with my teeth” in, however.

Faithless released seven studio albums, the most recent being 2020’s All Blessed, along with a number of compilation albums. They performed on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage in 2002 and were nominated for Best British Dance Act at the Brit Awards in 1999 and 2002.

A number of artists, fans and critics paid tribute on social media as news of Maxi Jazz’s death was announced.

Producer and DJ Mistajam tweeted: “I only met him IRL once and he was the kindest man with such an aura about him. His words and performances touched so many of us and he’ll be sorely missed. Love to Sister Bliss and the whole Faithless family. Rest in Power Maxi Jazz.”

“We have just sadly learned of the passing of Maxi Jazz. Best known for being the lead vocalist in Electronic band Faithless,” the Twitter account for UB40 posted. “Maxi toured with us back in 2017 with his band Maxi Jazz & the E-Type Boys.”

Radio presenter Phil Williams tweeted: “Really saddened to hear of Maxi Jazz’s death. Had an amazing lost night with him once which ended the morning after. He was kind, gentle and really funny. I loved watching him live, he was an amazing frontman.”

“So gutted to hear about Maxi Jazz. Faithless are my all time favourite band and were a huge influence on my life,” BBC weather presenter Simon King said.

Additional reporting by agencies