Cocoa Tea 'in hospital, but very much alive'

The family of veteran reggae singer, Colvin 'Cocoa Tea' Scott is debunking tales of the entertainer's passing.

"Yes, Cocoa Tea is in hospital, but he is very much alive," his wife Malvia Scott told The Gleaner, but did not give any details surrounding the Holy Mount Zion singer's illness.

Rumours of Cocoa Tea's passing have been quietly ongoing since last October, and took on a new life between the end of December and the start of the new year, with persons posting on social media on Wednesday and Thursday that he had died.

"As a family, we are asking everybody for prayers and we are also privacy at this time," Malvia Scott said.

Born in Rocky Point, Clarendon, Cocoa Tea, also has a home in Florida, USA, where he has been residing.

His bio on Wikipedia notes that Cocoa Tea was popular in Jamaica from 1985, but has become successful worldwide since the 1990s.

One of his most famous songs is Rikers Island, which was later put into a ragga version by Nardo Ranks entitled Me No Like Rikers Island, featured on Dancehall Reggaespanol , which was released the same year as the original Rikers Island.

He also gained fame with the song Young Lover. He gained notoriety in March 2008 after releasing a song titled Barack Obama , in support of the US presidential candidate by the same name. Cocoa Tea's song Jah Made Them That Way from his 1984 album Rocking Dolly interpolates Human Nature by Michael Jackson and Answer Mi Question by Dillinger.

He initiated the annual New Year's Eve events Dancehall Jam Jam in 2003. It ran until 2009, with plans to resurrect it in 2015.

After recording for many of the top reggae labels including VP Records, Greensleeves Records and Ras Records, he started his own Roaring Lion label around 2000.

Cocoa Tea met Koffee at the behest of producer Walshy Fire, who she was working with at the time.

"I met Koffee in Florida. I was at my house and Walshy Fire call me and seh 'Cocoa, I have a likkle girl here name Koffee. I wah yuh come listen her'. And from I listen her, I said listen mi! The sky is the limit for this little girl.