Pioneering Caribbean Zouk musician, Jacob Desvarieux, has died after suffering with COVID-19 in Guadeloupe.
The co-founder of popular Zouk band Kassav’, he was in poor health after undergoing a kidney transplant and was taken to hospital in after catching the virus - before passing away at the University Hospital of Abymes in Pointe-a-Pitre.
Following news of his death many fans and fellow-musicians left messages on social media, including award-winning Senegalese music star Youssou N’Dour, who tweeted: “The West Indies, Africa and music have just lost one of their greatest ambassadors,”.
“Jacob, thanks to your art, you brought the West Indies and Africa closer together. Dakar where you once lived mourns you. Farewell friend.”
French President Emmanuel Macron also paid tribute tweeting: “A giant of zouk music. An unparalleled guitarist. An emblematic voice of the West Indies. Jacob Desvarieux was all of these things at once.”
Fusing traditional Guadeloupean drumming within their music and using various styles of Caribbean music from Haiti, Dominica and Guadeloupe, to create Zouk, and lauded by the likes of jazz legend Miles Davis, Kassav’ celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2019.
He was 65.
