Maxi Jazz, lead singer of British band Faithless, dies at 65

Maxi Jazz, lead singer for the British band Faithless, has died at age 65, a representative for the band confirmed to CBS News Saturday. The band also confirmed his death in posts to social media. 

Jazz, whose real name was Maxwell Fraser, “died peacefully in his sleep” on Friday night, the band posted to its Twitter account. No other details about the death were immediately provided.

“He was a man who changed our lives in so many ways,” the band wrote in a separate statement on Facebook. “He gave proper meaning and message to our music.”

In their statement, Jazz’s bandmates, Rollo and Sister Bliss, remembered the late singer as “a lovely human being with time for everyone and a wisdom that was both profound and accessible.” 

They described Jazz as a “brilliant lyricist, a DJ, a Buddhist, a magnificent stage presence, car lover, endless talker, beautiful person, moral compass and genius.” 

Jazz formed the electronic music band with Rollo, Sister Bliss and Jamie Catto in 1995. They released several platinum albums, and are probably best known for their hits “Insomnia” and “God Is a DJ.”

Faithless often focused on political themes in their music. The cover for their 2020 album “All Blessed” used a photo of refugees snapped by journalist Yannis Behrakis to reinforce the album’s theme of immigration, the band explained on YouTube.

Jazz, also an avid soccer fan, was named associate director for the Premier League club Crystal Palace in 2012.

In a statement Saturday, Crystal Palace said the team would walk out to a Faithless song for its match Monday against Fulham as a tribute to Jazz.