In recent years, the Nigerian music industry has been plagued by the deaths of creative individuals who have influenced the industry’s evolution in various ways.
In this article, we take a look at the personalities the Nigerian Music Industry had to their goodbyes to.
Celebrities are also persons whose deaths have a significant impact on their audience. It’s always heartbreaking to witness a formerly vibrant personality pass away, because it serves as a reminder that we’ll all pass away one day.
Many people, notably in the entertainment and showbiz industries, have had a difficult time in recent years. There have already been a handful of celebrity deaths reported.
We compiled a list of Music acts in the Nigerian Music Industry that have passed away in the past two years;
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Majek Fashek
Majekodunmi Fasheke, also known as Majek Fashek, died in his sleep in New York City on June 1, 2020. He had oesophagal cancer and was 57 years old.
Tributes flooded in from all over the world for the renowned singer, who had contributed tremendously to the country’s music landscape with singles like “Send Down the Rain” and “So Long for Too Long.”
Majek Fashek, also known as “The Rainmaker,” was an activist who used his music to fight societal injustices, particularly his 1988 album “Prisoner of Conscience.”
Victor Olaiya
Veteran trumpeter and highlife musician, Victor Olaiya’s music dominated many people’s hearts in the 1950s and 1960s.
Known as the “evil genius of highlife,” Dr. Victor Abimbola Olaiya OOON died in February 2020 at the age of 89 after succumbing to an unidentified ailment while undergoing treatment at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
Olaiya is credited with helping to shape Nigeria’s music industry, having established himself as one of the country’s first widely successful performers in the genre during the 1960s.
BigLo
Lotanna Udezue aka BigLo, a music producer, rapper, and singer, died after a long battle with kidney disease. BigLo is said to have died on Saturday, December 26, 2020. Olofin, a singer and jazz musician, confirmed his death on Instagram.
BigLo rose to prominence in 2004 thanks to the hit single “Delicious,” which featured 2shotz. In 2019, the rapper disclosed that he was suffering from kidney disease.
He revealed this on his Gofundme page, where he stated that he was diagnosed with renal kidney failure.
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Dokta Frabz
Ayorinde Faboro aka Dokta Frabz, a Nigerian producer, was purportedly killed in the United States in 2020. On February 27, 2020, news of his passing made the rounds on social media, with other celebrities expressing their condolences.
Dokta Frabz began his music career in Lagos, where he was born and bred.
He began his musical career as a pianist and drummer at Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral in Ikeja, Lagos.
He started off working for Don Jazzy and D’Banj’s Mo’ Hits Records before working with other artists, including Wizkid, Omawumi, Davido and the late Dagrin.
Through his collaborations with the late Dagrin on the song “Thank God,” “Joy” from Wizkid’s sophomore album Ayo, four songs on Naeto C’s sophomore album Super C Season, and multiple singles with regular collaborator Omawumi, he achieved mainstream popularity.
DJ Babus
Babatunde Bello aka DJ Babus, a Nigerian disc jockey, died on January 29, 2021, from COVID-19 complications. He worked for a number of companies before his death, including Four Points by Sheraton, where he was the resident DJ from 2014 to 2015.
He worked as a Talent Manager at KnightHouse, The Creative Entertainment Company, where well-known talents such as Mo Cheddah and Phenom came to fame.
Sound Sultan
Nigerian singer and actor Sound Sultan has died after losing battle with cancer at the age of 44 years old.
The singer passed away Sunday, July 11, 2021 and was buried the same day.
In the 1990s, he began his career in show business by hosting performances to collect funds for studio sessions. In the year 2000, he launched his first single, “Jagbajantis,” which became an instant hit in Nigeria.
He was signed by Kennis Music after independently releasing other singles and appearing in hit songs by other musicians. He released four albums under this label.
Aside from being a singer, Sound Sultan was also a rapper, actor and basketball club owner.
Kodak
On April 29th, 2020, Nigerian video vixen and dancer Kodak died after allegedly being electrocuted while charging her phone. The incident was said to have occurred at Capital Dreams, the production company belonging to popular Video director, Clarence Peters.
Kodak was a popular dancer who had appear in music videos for a wide range of artists.
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Obama DMW
Habeeb Uthman, popularly known as Obama DMW, was a close friend of Nigerian music sensation Davido and died after experiencing breathing difficulties.
He died in a hospital in Lekki, Lagos, in June, just a few hours after driving himself to the hospital for treatment.
Despite the efforts of the on-duty doctors, he died.
He was born in Lagos State and began managing future artists in his institution of learning, despite the fact that he was a science student.
Obama DMW was the founder and CEO of the Obama Music Worldwide (OMW) record label until his death. He was also an important member of the DMW crew.