SAD NEWS: Beloved movie star ‘sh0t d3ad at 47’ as tributes flood in
Movie star and musician Ras Ajai has been shot dead (Image: rasajaimusic)
Movie star and musician, Ras Ajai, also known by his real name Brian Todd Boucher, who portrayed JLP political enforcer Claudie Massop in the 2024 Bob Marley: One Love biopic, has been shot and killed in Waterford, St. Catherine, Jamaica at the age of 47. He appeared in the movie using his real name and mingled with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when they attended the premiere of the movie in Jamaica.
Another man is said to have been injured in the attack, which is being investigated by the St Catherine South Police. Reports indicate the reggae and dancehall recording artist, singer and songwriter was walking along a roadway with a 37-year-old man at around 9pm on Saturday, August 1, when they were surprised by armed thugs travelling in a car. One of them reportedly got out of the car and opened fire on the pair, hitting Ras multiple times, before escaping in the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at Spanish Town General Hospital, while the other man is undergoing treatment.
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Ras was native to the area, having been raised there by his adoptive parents. His father was a pastor who insisted he go to church every Sunday, which was where he first developed his love for music.
He was widely recognised for his self-described “ghetto gospel” style, which blended the realities of street life with uplifting messages and a mature perspective.
In 2012, he released his breakout single Pack Up Yuh Tings. Just five years later, in 2017, he released his biggest hit – an ode to marijuana called ‘Smoking Loud.
Turning his hand to acting in 2024, he gained a whole new audience and huge acclaim for his role in Bob Marley: One Love playing Claudius Claudie Massop, the JLP political enforcer and later leader of the peace movement, who was integral in getting reggae icon Bob Marley to return to Jamaica to play the legendary One Love peace concert in 1978.
Ras Ajai poses with the cast of Bob Marley: One Love at the Jamaican premere (Image: Getty)
Tributes flooded in for the star as fans learned the tragic news. Taking to Instagram one wrote: “My heart is broken in 2… Ras was a real one!! love that dude so much!!”
Another added: “This man was one of the most ambitious and motivating people I have ever known. What an unfair way to leave the earth when he still had so much more work to do here.”
A third chimed in: “RIP Brian you put in the work to become successful.” A fourth shared: “RIPmy childhood mentor all now mi cah believe.”
Meanwhile a fifth simply penned: “This is terrible news I just wish it wasn’t true.”
