Contributed by Rashona Fitz-Henley
The team of Reggae singer Koffee is moving to clarify why she was not in attendance at the Thanksgiving Service of the late Coca Tea on Sunday April 6 at The Verandah in Clarendon Park.
There has been some amount of controversy following Koffee’s absence from the Thanksgiving Service, given the vital role Cocoa Tea played in the launch of her career.
When IRIE FM asked why she was not in attendance, Koffee’s team responded “we never got any information pertaining to the funeral. None whatsoever.”
When we indicated that details of the funeral were aired on IRIE FM on Friday April 4, Koffee’s team indicated that they learned of this “after the fact.”
When we asked whether Koffee had tried to reach out to the family to find out when and where the funeral would be, her team further responded:
“We have no connection with his family. And no one reached out to us. We only heard what’s happening from the ground. We wanted to attend as well. But, clearly it wasn’t to be.”
The Thanksgiving Service was well attended by the reggae community with several celebrities including Shabba Ranks, Wayne Wonder, Bugle, Nesbeth, Richie Stephens and others present, but Koffee was noticeably absent, evoking criticism on social media.
The Legendary Reggae singer was said to be the first person to introduce the Toast hitmaker to a stage and played a key role in her development as an artiste.
Cocoa Tea, widely viewed as a cultural ambassador of reggae music died on March 11, 2025 in Florida after ailing for some time.
A day later ( March 12), Koffee posted a tribute on her instagram with two photos of herself and Cocoa Tea smiling and embracing. The caption read “RIP to a Legend.”
