The coffin bearing the remains of artiste Cocoa Tea stands adorned with an arrangement of yellow roses. (Photo: Llewellyn Wynter)
Tributes flow at Cocoa Tea farewell
As the pall-bearers led mourners from Cocoa Tea’s thanksgiving service at The Verandah in Clarendon on Sunday, April 6, the strains of Holy Mount Zion sounded throughout the venue. Fittingly, the Nyahbinghi beat of his 1995 hit song carried the singer home.
Family members and colleagues from the music industry and well-wishers from his beloved Clarendon turned out to give the diminutive singer a final farewell in a service punctuated by reflections that were at times tearful, and others humorous. Musical tributes they were aplenty.
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Cocoa Tea, whose hit songs include Lost My Sonia, Lonesome Side, and Young Lover, died on March 11, 2025 at age 65 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from cardiac arrest. He had battled a cancer-related illness for several years.
With a backdrop of photos and videos that captured his 50-year career, the gathering heard about Cocoa Tea’s unyielding love of community and family. His son Shaquille addressed his father’s humility despite global success.
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“How do you eulogise a man who was multifaceted, multitalented and multidimensional? As a family, we chose to eulogise him from the viewpoint of a father, a husband, and a family man,” he said.
Three of Cocoa Tea’s eight children, his widow Malvia, brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews also attended the service.
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Gussie Clarke, who produced several of Cocoa Tea’s songs, recalled his long association with the singer. He said their bond grew stronger as he battled illness with the support of friends, among them fellow producer Mikey Bennett, singer Hopeton Lindo, Chris Chin of VP Records, Sean Paul, his doctors and nurses.
Clarke stated that even in the most challenging times Cocoa Tea was resilient.
“In one of my visits to the medical facility with Hopeton Lindo, we took him outside and he was in one of his best moments. He was stronger than I had ever seen him and, unaided by anyone, he got up and was walking around in the presence of his wife Malvia, and showing us that he would soon recover fully and looking forward to return to Jamaica,” Clarke recalled.
Close friend Sister Charlene described Cocoa Tea as “a modern day Psalmist”, who transformed from an artiste who sported a Jheri curl hairstyle to a “militant, radical voice in the [Rastafarian] movement who was not afraid to call down lightning and thunder, brimstone and fire, earthquake and lava, whenever Babylon’s machinations reared its ugly head”.
There were performances from Berly, Cocoa Tea’s older brother; Bongo Herman; Little John; Richie Stephens; guitarist Kenroy Mullings; Dimario McDowell; among others.
Shabba Ranks, Wayne Wonder, Josey Wales, Charlie Chaplin, Howard McIntosh, and Kareem Burrell were some of the other music industry figures in attendance.
