“Moral compass and genius”: faithless singer Maxi Jazz died Favorite dishes of the dictators – where Putin and Co. really hungry

There are probably few songs on which so many people around the world have danced, celebrated and sweated: Faithless singer Maxi Jazz, with his voice in “Insomnia”, immortalized the line “I can’t get no sleep” and the following techno sample in the history of music. Now Maxi Jazz has passed away at the age of 65.

His former bandmates said on Christmas Eve via the group’s official social media channels: “We are heartbroken that Maxi Jazz passed away peacefully at his South London home last night.”

It was an honor and a real pleasure to work with Jazz, whose real name was Maxwell Fraser. “He was a brilliant lyricist, DJ, Buddhist, great stage presence, car enthusiast, endless talker, beautiful human being, moral compass and genius.” His colleagues continued: “He gave our music the right meaning and message.” Initially, there was no information about the cause of death.

Faithless has become world famous with songs like “Insomnia”, “God is a DJ” and “We Come 1”. Formed in 1995, the band has produced seven studio albums and headlined some of the world’s biggest festivals. Clubs, house parties and many fitness courses would be unthinkable without their hits.

Born in Brixton, Jazz also fronted the band Maxi Jazz & The E-Type Boys and worked with the likes of Robbie Williams. The musician had been a supporter of London’s Crystal Palace football club for years and the club posted a photo of Jazz on Saturday night to express their grief. And he announced that on Boxing Day, Boxing Day, the team would come to the game in commemoration of a Faithless song.

Countless fans and celebrities expressed their grief on Twitter and Instagram – and many reminisced about partying and the 1990s. British TV producer Samantha Brick tweeted, “Thank you Maxi. You gave my generation the absolute best time.”

Several myths circulated about the origin of the hit “Insomnia”. The famous line of lyrics actually stemmed from a personal experience, Jazz told The Guardian in October 2020. “I didn’t suffer from insomnia, but I just had an abscess on my tooth. It hurt so much that I lay awake.” (sda/dpa)