Reggae singer and Jamaican national icon Cocoa Tea has died. He was 65.
The singer, born Calvin George Scott, died Tuesday of cardiac arrest in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Malvia Scott, the singer’s wife, confirmed the death to the newspaper the Jamaica Gleaner. She told the paper that he was diagnosed with lymphoma and pneumonia in recent years.
“He was definitely very brave,” Malvia Scott told the Gleaner. “He was positive throughout it all. About three weeks ago when he was admitted in the hospital he asked if I was worried and I said ‘I am always worried’. He told me not to worry because everything was going to be all right. He was always very hopeful.”
The singer, born in the small village of Rocky Point, Jamaica, was known for his romantic, honey-sweet voice that shaped and shifted with generations of dancehall and lovers rock.
Singles “Rocking Dolly” and “I Lost My Sonia” were defining genre hits in the ’80s, and his debut LP “Weh Dem a Go Do…Can’t Stop Cocoa Tea” made him a superstar within Jamaican music and globally among reggae fans. Follow-ups like “The Marshall” and “Come Again” incorporated more spiritual Rastafarian lyrical themes, and he joined a supergroup with Shabba Ranks and Home T that scored a big hit with “Holding On.”
Cocoa Tea remained politically resonant and adaptable as dancehall turned grittier into the ’90s. After moving to New York, he released the searing social-critique single “Riker’s Island” in 1991, and anti-war tracks “No Blood for Oil” and “Oil Ting” that opposed the first Gulf War, leading to radio bans in Jamaica and the U.K.
He kept up his string of genre hits throughout the decade with releases on top reggae labels Greensleeves and VP, with Motown issuing a compilation “Holy Mt. Zion” in 1997. He founded his own label, Roaring Lion, which released records by top acts such as Buju Banton, Cutty Ranks and Sizzla, and paid tribute to America’s first Black president with a 2008 single “Barack Obama.”
He performed at Buju Banton’s Long Walk to Freedom concert in Kingston in 2019, and last performed three years ago on the Welcome to Jamrock cruise.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness wrote on Instagram that “I extend condolences to the family, friends, and supporters of Calvin George Scott, affectionately known as Cocoa Tea. His smooth vocals and compelling lyrics gave us timeless classics like ‘Rocking Dolly’ and ‘I’ve Lost My Sonia,’ songs that have become anthems in our cultural landscape.”
“Beyond his musical genius,” Holness continued, “Cocoa Tea was a beacon of kindness and generosity, consistently uplifting the less fortunate and embodying the warmth of our nation. Cocoa Tea’s influence extended beyond our shores, touching hearts worldwide and solidifying Jamaica’s place on the global musical stage.”
Cocoa Tea is survived by wife Malvia and eight children.
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