In the United States, over the last 50 years following the rise of commercial music , celebrity artists and record labels, there has been a tendency for individuals to become intoxicated with their newfound fame and meet tragic ends. Whether it be the infamous death of Elvis Presley in the mid-1970s, John Bonham of Led Zeppelins tragic demise in 1980, or Jimi Hendrix in 1970, there is no shortage of sad endings to many legendary performers. Some individuals get caught up in drugs and alcohol, and others just succumb to the pressure of being in the limelight. Late this summer, yet another sorrowful end to a well-known producer and singer-songwriter occurred. On Monday, August 28th, Def Jam’s Ray “August 08” Jacobs passed away at age 31.
In an official statement, the record label released a message mourning the passing of Ray Jacobs. Jacobs has been remembered as a fantastic songwriter, prominent musician, and a beloved colleague. Jacobs went by the artistic name of “August 08”. He had been credited for work on the popular song “I’m the One” by DJ Khaled. Ray Jacobs birth name was August Grant; he signed with Allel Sound in July 2022 and released an album called “Seasick”. His debut song, titled “Father”, was released in 2018. The artist has also been credited for work with Jackson Wang, Sabrina Claudio, and Ty Dolla $ign. He was a native of Los Angeles. He is survived by his mother, sister, and other family members. His cause of death for unknown.
Jacobs is not the only popular music artist to pass away over the last week. A week after his death, Steve Harwell, the former front man of the band Smash Mouth passed away at 56 years old after being put on hospice for liver failure. Harwell had struggled with alcohol abuse. Smash Mouth was formed in 1994 in San Jose California, and was popular in the early 2000’s.
