Freddie Jackson, the

smooth balladeer who

rocked local airwaves

and charts with songs including Rock Me Tonight

(For Old Times Sake); Tasty

Love; You Are My Lady; A

Little Bit More featuring

Melba Moore; Nice and

Slow; and All I Ever Ask

featuring Najee, has died.

Jackson’s death on

Monday, October 5 was

confirmed by his family in

a statement posted on his

official Instagram account.

“Freddie was more than

a legendary voice. He was

a kind, generous soul who

loved his fans, his family, his

friends and his music with

everything he had,” the post

read. “For decades he gave

us the songs that became

the soundtrack to our love

stories, our celebrations,

and our most treasured

memories. That gift will live

on forever. To everyone who

ever sang along, danced, or

felt something when Freddie

took the stage: Thank you.

You were family to him, and

he carried your love with

him always.”

The cause of Jackson’s

death was not stated;

however, two years ago,

he revealed in published

reports, that he had been

diagnosed with kidney

disease.

Jackson topped the

Billboard Hot R&B Singles

chart 10 times during his

career, with seven of his

songs made the Billboard

Hot 100, with You Are My

Lady being the biggest hit,

reaching #12 in 1985.

He released 13 studio

albums with 2023’s My First

Love being his last release.

He was nominated for a

Grammy Best New Artiste

Award as well as for Best

Rhythm and Blues Vocal

Performance – Male for the

song You Are My Lady.

The singer, who was born

Frederick Anthony Jackson,

performed in Jamaica on

several occasions. His last

performance here was at

the pre-Valentine show Love

in the Gardens, which took

place on February 11, 2024

at Hope Gardens, which

also featured Alaine, Island

Kings, Digicel Rising Star

winner Remone Watson,

and Sanchez.

Emcee for the event,

Heather CummingsWilliams shared her recollection of their meeting.

“Freddie was awesome

energy the moment I met

him! One of the humblest

superstars I’ve ever

come across. The other

was Peabo Bryson. Two

pioneers… gone leaving

behind unmatched legacy,”

Cummings-Williams told

the Jamaica Observer on

Tuesday.

“His performance was

satisfactory; however, we

assumed at the time that

the reason for that was the

fact that he was unwell. The

promoters were unaware

at the time of booking

him. I interacted with

him at the media launch

as well as onstage at the

Love in the Gardens show.

Sleep well, Freddie. Your

impact and contribution

of endless love songs will

never be forgotten,” said

Cummings-Williams.

In a joint statement

shared with the Jamaica

Observer, Maya Sewell

and Tara Johnson, from

the Love in the Gardens

production team, said: “We

are deeply saddened by the

news of Freddie Jackson’s

passing. His music brought

immense joy to lovers of

R&B and soul across generations, particularly here in

Jamaica. It was an honour

to present his final concert

performance on the island.”

Reflecting on what it was

like working with Jackson,

Sewell said: “Freddie was

an absolute gentleman —

warm, gracious, and extraordinarily pleasant to

work with throughout the

entire production. It was

a genuine honour for our

entire team and local crew

to accommodate him.”

Sewell continued:

“Freddie was a consummate

professional and successfully delivered his entire

scheduled set. While there

was a noticeable, subtle

shift when he landed and

onstage, on a few of the audience’s favourite anthems,

the energy in the space was

magic. The crowd was so

thrilled to share that nostalgic moment with him that

the performance quickly

transformed into a unified,

heart-warming sing-along.”

Jackson was a back-up

singer for R&B singer

Melba Moore before he got

his big break. Her publicist

shared a statement with the

Observer, commenting on

Jackson’s passing.

“My heart is broken over

the loss of a great singer

and even a greater friend,

Freddie Jackson. When we

worked together on songs

such as our hit, A Little Bit

More, his sense of humour

had me laughing during

the sessions. We had such

a special relationship. I will

forever miss my dear friend.

Rest peacefully, Freddie,”

shared Melba Moore.