The great Max Romeo is dead at 80

Reggae legend Max Romeo passed away today (April 11) at age 80.

DancehallMag understands that the singer, whose real name was Maxie Smith, succumbed to heart complications at a private medical facility in St. Andrew, Jamaica, between 3 and 4 p.m.

“The family is devastated right now,” Romeo’s daughter Azana Smith told DancehallMag on Friday. “My father Maxie Smith is not in this dimension anymore, he is not here for me to speak with but he lives on. The family is mourning and asking for privacy at this time.”

Steel Pulse has been rocking to Max from in the late 60’s well before he donned his long and thick dreadlocks. This transformation was duly noted, with songs like “War Ina Babylon, “One Step Forward,” and “Let The Power Fall On I.” It’s now frightening to acknowledge that the very best of reggae is leaving us. Now, it’s only a matter of time that the faces of this genre will mutate into something else… most definitely not the same. Our hearts go out to his wife, Charm, children, Xana, Azzizi and Romario, who he had performing along side on him on stage ever since they were children. They can truly hold their own as performers, btw. Our hearts go out to his fans and friends also. Farewell to a man that upheld his bargain when it came to representing our music; flawless and without scandal. Max Romeo (whose birth name was Max Smith), RIP.