Christian Band Big Daddy Weave’s Jason ‘Jay’ Weaver Dead at 42

Jason “Jay” Weaver, a founding member of the Christian band Big Daddy Weave, died Sunday from complications related to COVID-19. His brother, Mike Weaver, shared the sad news on the band’s Facebook page. Weaver was 42.

“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 from COVID-19, on top of everything else that he already had going on,” Mike said in the video. Weaver’s brother went on to thank fans for their support. “We just wanted to let you know that the prayers for healing can turn into prayers of thanksgiving now,” he said.

Weaver’s death came a day after the band asked fans for prayers because he was hospitalized and battling COVID-19. “Friends, would you please pray for Jay, his wife Emily and their children? Jay has been in the hospital for five days fighting a tough battle against Covid,” the band wrote. “Would you pray with us for complete healing for Jay and for peace for his family? We pray In Jesus name that it be so.”

Weaver battled several health problems in recent years. In August 2021, he was hospitalized after complications with dialysis, the Christian Broadcasting Network reports. Although he was allowed to return home, the band announced on Aug. 5 he would no longer be touring. “Jay recently made the difficult decision to come off the road with Big Daddy Weave for a time to focus on his health,” the band wrote at the time, adding a photo of Weaver with his wife and children. “He’s had an extremely difficult week, culminating in side effects from his dialysis treatments causing him to be admitted into the intensive care unit yesterday.”

During a press conference in 2016, Mike told fans his brother needed both feet amputated after an infection spread to his legs. “This comes in a season when we were really seeing God in the miraculous and hearing stories of that all the time,” Mike said at the time. “We’re praying for J-dawg, that’s what we call him; his name is Jason, which strangely enough, or purposefully enough, his name means ‘one who heals.’”

Big Daddy Weave was founded in Mobile, Alabama in 1998 by bassist Weaver, guitarist Mike, keyboardist Joe Shirk, drummer Jeff Jones, and guitarist Jeremy Redmon. Jones died in 2013 and was replaced by drummer Brian Beihl. The group released nine albums, with all but their first charting on Billboard‘s Top Christian Album chart. Their best-selling release is 2012’s Love Come to Life, which reached number three on the Top Christian Album chart and number 68 on the main Billboard 200 album chart.