“Sad to hear of the passing of Sweet Sweet Cocoa Tea,” said Minister Grange.
His wife, Malvia Scott, told The Gleaner that Cocoa Tea died from a heart arrest at 4:46 this morning in a Broward, Ft Lauderdale, Florida, hospital. He was sixty-five.
“He vomited, so I was called early this morning that he was transferred from the facility to the hospital, which is just five minutes away. Malvia said that he was also battling pneumonia for the last six months besides the initial diagnosis of lymphoma back in 2019.
The Nah Give Up singer kept a positive spirit until the end, not far-off, receiving that diagnosis six years back.
“He was definitely very brave,” Malvia said; she is the mother of three of Cocoa Tea’s children. “He remained upbeat the entire time. He asked me whether I was worried about his being admitted to the hospital about three weeks ago and I said, ‘I am always worried.’ He told me it was going to be alright and not to worry. He was always hopeful.
“Very saddened by the passing of Sweet Sweet Cocoa Tea,” Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sport, told The Gleaner.
“He has long been a mainstay in the field. His music is timeless, making him one of the best reggae vocalists to have ever lived. We honour him now and send our sympathies to his family. Working with him throughout the years has been enjoyable, and we are happy that we were able to give him some flowers while he was here. “May he rest in peace,” said Minister Grange.
Cocoa Tea, known for his power chanting and sweet, melodic singing voice, last performed three years ago on the Welcome to Jamrock Cruise. The I Am the Toughest singer performed at Buju Banton’s historic Long Walk to Freedom concert held at Kingston’s National Stadium in 2019.
Cocoa Tea was born in Rocky Point, Clarendon on September 3, 1959. In 1985 Cocoa Tea rose to fame on the Jamaican music scene with the hits “I Lost My Sonia” and “Sweetheart Cocoa Tea.”
Since the 1990s, he has found fame worldwide and has grown a huge fan base with songs such as “Israel’s King,” “Weh Dem A Go Do…Can’t Stop Cocoa Tea,” “Holy Mount Zion,” and “Rocking Dolly.” According to his Wikipedia bio, one of his most famed tracks, “Rikers Island,” was later remixed by Nardo Ranks into a dancehall tune, ‘Me No Like Rikers Island’, which found a spot on the 1991 Columbia/SME Records compilation Dancehall Reggaespañol.”
In 2003, Coco Tea started the annual New Year’s Eve event Dancehall Jam Jam, which continued until 2009 with plans for a revival in 2015.
He started his label, Roaring Lion, around 2000 after recording for most of the big reggae companies like VP Records, Greensleeves Records, and Ras Records.
Cocoa Tea became a popular name in March 2008 when he released the song entitled Barack Obama endorsing then-candidate for US president Barack Obama, who subsequently won his elections.
Coco Tea is survived by his wife Malvia and eight children.
