Apryl McIntosh-Smith

McIntosh-Smith died suddenly on Saturday, 24 October 2026, in Gran Canaria, Spain, where she was representing Jamaica at the WOMEX 2026 Caribbean Women in the Business of Music programme, which ran from 21 to 25 October. Her cause of death has not been made public.

JaRIA chairman Ewan Simpson told The Gleaner that he had spoken with her the night before. She had been updating him on JaRIA Awards matters and told him she was out of hospital, having been admitted after a reaction to mould in a previous hotel room. Simpson said the association had been plunged into shock and disbelief and was in utter grief.

Ras-I posted a tribute on Instagram on 25 October, writing that she had so much more to offer the world. Reggae artistes including Mortimer, Lila Ike, Kabaka Pyramid and Romain Virgo responded with messages of sorrow. Her death was reported by The Gleaner and the Jamaica Observer on 26 October 2026. Funeral arrangements had not been announced.

Apryl McIntosh-Smith founded Niche Entertainment Group Limited in January 2013 and led it as creative executive officer. The Jamaican company described itself as a full service event, production and artiste management business. Its services included event planning and management, stage, light and sound production, design and branding, promotion, public relations and marketing, studio services, and artiste bookings, management and talent scouting. It later added a corporate communications division, Niche Corporate.

Her longest and closest professional relationship was as manager of the reggae singer Ras-I. In April 2025 his song Somewhere Wonderful was selected as the official soundtrack of the Jamaica Tourist Board's Easter campaign in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. "This partnership represents what's possible when intentional creativity meets strategic collaboration," she said at the time. In May 2026, as Ras-I launched his album Heart of Love, she told The Gleaner that he was probably the only artiste she had ever really wanted to work with, and that she saw Grammy recognition ahead for him.

She was also a board member and director of education of the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA). She chaired its Education Committee and served on its Awards Committee and its Constitution Advocacy Lobbying and Membership (CALM) Committee, with a particular interest in music business education.

In October 2026 Niche Entertainment was one of eight women-led music businesses selected for the Caribbean delegation to WOMEX 2026 in Gran Canaria, through the Caribbean Women in Music Market Access Programme supported by the Caribbean Development Bank and the SheTrades Caribbean Hub.

McIntosh-Smith was the mother of two young daughters, whom JaRIA's chairman mentioned in his tribute. Ras-I described her as "a mother, a protector and a big sister in one", and signed his tribute with the nickname "Bossy".

JaRIA's chairman said the association would remain committed to the goals and vision she had carefully and fearlessly set out, and that her service on its education, awards and CALM committees would never be forgotten. He remembered her insight and her dreams for the future of Jamaica's entertainment ecosystem, and her place among the women-led businesses that represented Caribbean music at WOMEX in her final days.