Home Christian News Christian Band Big Daddy Weave’s Bassist Jay Weaver Dies After Contracting COVID-19

Christian Band Big Daddy Weave’s Bassist Jay Weaver Dies After Contracting COVID-19

Big Daddy Weave
Screenshot from Instagram @bdwmusic

Dove Award winning contemporary Christian artist Big Daddy Weave’s co-founding member, vocalist, and bassist, Jay Weaver, died Sunday, January 2, 2022 at the age of 42 of complications resulting from COVID-19.

Mike Weaver, Jay’s brother and Big Daddy Weave’s lead vocalist, posted on the band’s Instagram page sharing the news of his brother’s passing.

“Thank you so much for all your prayers for my brother,” an emotional Mike told everyone. “You have walked with him through a huge fight. I’m so sorry to bring this news, but I’m also excited to celebrate where he is right now—my brother Jay went to be with Jesus just a couple hours ago due to complications with COVID-19 on top of everything else that he already had going on.”

Jay was admitted to the hospital in late December due to complications stemming from the COVID-19 virus. A day before his passing, the band posted a message on their Instagram page asking for people to pray for Jay and his family. “Jay has been in the hospital for five days fighting a tough battle against COVID,” the message said. “Would you pray with us for complete healing for Jay and for peace for his family? We pray in the name of Jesus that it be so.”

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In that same post, the band included a message from Jay’s wife, Emily, which said, “I am asking you all to pray for Jay. He has been in the hospital since Tuesday. He is fighting so hard. I can see it on him as I look through the window of his door. Yes, he has the awful virus. I just want my best friend/everything to get better.”

Jay had struggled with diabetes for 20 years, and according to Curb | Word Entertainment, Big Daddy Weave’s record label, Jay’s health got so bad in 2016 that his “survival was in question.” Both of his feet had to be amputated in order to save his life, which led to a painful and difficult recovery.

“Jay battled the idea of whether he should even continue living,” Big Daddy Weave’s Curb biography reads.

In August of 2020, the band announced that Jay needed to leave the band’s tour to receive dialysis to help with kidney function. Jay later received a port, so he could receive treatment at home or while on the road.

The band asked for prayers for Jay and his family this past August, saying he made the “difficult decision” to return home from touring to focus on his health, because side effects from his dialysis treatments had caused him to be admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit. After spending a few days in the ICU, Emily shared that Jay was released and thanked everyone for their prayers, saying that they were trusting completely in God’s plan.

“You’ve seen him walk the uphill battle and you’ve guys helped carry him through so much,” Mike told the band’s followers. “Man I’m telling you the Lord used him in such a mighty way out on the road for so many years and anybody who’s come into contact with him just knows how real his faith in Jesus was.”