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Mexican reggae singer Jah Fabio is being saluted for his passion for Jamaican music and his commitment to taking the music throughout Latin America.

Jah Fabio, whose given name is Favio Velasco, passed away on Saturday in Guadalajara in Mexico. He was 43. Music industry facilitator Boswell 'Stampede' Lammie, who was influential in Jah Fabio's six trips to Jamaica, told THE STAR that he last spoke to the entertainer last Thursday. He was booked to perform on Reggae Sumfest in July.

"Fabio tell me seh that him was going to do a show on Friday. And Saturday mi get the news that him dead. Him did have kidney problems and that affect the heart. Right now me can't even tell yuh how mi feel. It sad ... sad. We did have big plans fi Sumfest ... big big plans. Rasta ... Jah Jah," a grieving Stampede said.

In a previously unpublished 2024 interview with THE STAR, Jah Fabio was candid about his health challenges, and also accepted that "the strongest soldier gets the hardest fight".

"Two years ago, I started doing my dialysis two times per week ... so when I come to Jamaica I have to do my sessions. So big up to Sunshine Dialysis. It's part of the life ... the only thing sure is dying," Jah Fabio shared with THE STAR at the Bob Marley birthday celebration at Emancipation Park in New Kingston on February 6, 2024.

He added, "I don't think about my sickness as [a] victim. I want to show the people that the journey, no matter what, can be bearable. My sickness ... I feel sometimes bad of course ... but only Jah knows how long we can live. I know people who have no sickness and they die in crash. Everybody have a bag to carry, and this is my bag. I say give thanks because every dialysis is an opportunity for life. Every Monday and every Thursday, it is an opportunity for life and God remind me that life is really, really fragile."

Last February was Jah Fabio's first time performing in Kingston, and the 'Bandilero' 'shell dung di place'. His social media posts indicated that he was excited to return to Jamaica for Reggae Sumfest, following his visit earlier this year. On April 18, he told his followers that he was "very happy and proud to be part of this legendary festival for the third time".

"See you in Jamaica! Di Mexican will be deh again!" he posted. Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, reacted to the news of Jah Fabio's death.

"I know that Jah Fabio's close colleagues and the music fraternity in Mexico are deeply saddened, as we are, at his transition. My brother, rest well in the arms of Jah, who I know gave you the strength to keep going in spite of the challenges you faced," Grange said.

The Reggae Sumfest organisers hailed Jah Fabio as a beloved member of the Sumfest family who they were "looking forward to welcoming back with open arms".

Jah Fabio was scheduled to perform on June 8 at the Raztlan festival in Tijuana. The organisers posted a picture of him on social media, noting that he was "much more than a singer ... he was a messenger of peace, a warrior of the spirit, and an inspiration to generations".

In summing up his illness, Jah Fabio had stated, "God gives his worst battles to his best warriors. Don't tell Him that I don't want to be Rambo."