Arif Cooper, a well-known DJ, music producer, and radio host, passed away this morning at a young age after collapsing at Recall Throwback Edition at the Police Officers’ Club on Hope Road. Cooper was one of many DJs hired for the occasion.
Arif Cooper, who has been DJing since 1991, is the son of renowned musician and music educator Ibo Cooper. He is one of Jamaica’s most well-liked selectors both domestically and internationally. In 1997, he established the Fresh Ear Production House. He began working for the RJRGLEANER Communications Group’s FAME FM in 1998 and remained an employee of the organisation until his death. Vybz Kartel, Konshens, Baby Cham, Alaine, Demarco, and others in the dancehall genre have all benefited greatly from Arif Cooper’s contributions to their respective careers.
Members of the entertainment industry have already started paying tribute on social media as the news spreads.
On Twitter, singer Nadine Sutherland expressed her condolences to the family. “I feel like I am an OG because of how much death I have encountered over the past few years. But the news of Arif Cooper’s transition came to me like a tonne of bricks when I woke up. For Ibo, Joy, his kids, family, friends, and supporters, my heart is breaking. Who is a man?” the tweet read.
“This is sad news this morning. RIP #ArifCooper and condolences to your family (especially Dad Ibo and Mom) and friends, especially with the wider music and media fraternity,” said cultural studies and music scholar, Dr Sonjah Stanley Niaah.
