In light of Dj Arif Cooper’s sudden passing, we take a look at who his ex-wife, media personality Simone Clarke Cooper, is.

Dj Arif Cooper, the son of Michael “Ibo” Cooper, the founder of the iconic Jamaican reggae group, Third World, passed away on Sunday, March 5, 2023.

His death was sudden as Cooper reportedly suffered a seizure and collapsed whilst playing at a party at the Police Officers’ Club in St Andrew, Jamaica. He was taken to the hospital but did not survive.

Simone Clarke Cooper has worked at TV Jamaica since 1997

Simone Clarke was married to Arif Cooper but the two have since divorced. She is a consummate communication specialist, with over 25 years of broadcast experience, and over a decade of corporate communication experience.

After graduating from the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus with a First Class Honours Degree in Media and Communication in 1997, she began working at Television Jamaica, where she is the host of the morning show Smile Jamaica.

Clarke is the CEO of SimSpeak Communication, a company that offers corporate communication consultancy, voice and speech training, media coaching, broadcast training, and public speaking presentation for individuals and corporate entities. 

Dj Arif Cooper and ex-wife Simone Clarke’s marriage

Very little is known about Dj Arif Cooper and Simone Clarke’s marriage, despite both having public-facing careers.

The couple shared a daughter together called Aaryn although her age is unknown. Simone appears to be close with her daughter. She recently shared an Instagram video captioned: “Asked Mini Cooper to shoot a vid for me,” in which her presence in the background is notable.

Dj Arif and Simone’s marriage is understood to have come to an end in the late 2010s.

Tributes pour out for Arif Cooper

Arif Cooper was a hugely popular and influential DJ on the Jamaican music scene. He also worked alongside major artists including Vybz Kartel, Wayne Marshall, and Sean Paul, as a music producer.

Jamaican Culture and Entertainment Minister Olivia Grange said of his passing: “We saw Arif making his own name here in Jamaica and on the international scene where he entertained audiences in a number of United States cities and in Japan.”

She highlighted his “versatility” and said that he “was greatly admired by his colleagues in the music industry and by his fans.”

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