July 31, 2024
Nigerian music icon, Onyeka Onwenu has passed away at age 72. She was performing at a birthday party on Tuesday night when she collapsed and was rushed to hospital, local media is reporting. Her family has not yet commented, but Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu and other public figures have expressed their condolences.
How I want to be buried – Onyeka Onwenu
In her 2021 reflection, she emphasized that her friends should celebrate her life while she was still alive, sharing joy and laughter together, rather than waiting until after her death
- “Do it quickly, quietly, and privately,” emphasizing that her burial should be free from excessive fanfare. She asked her loved ones to “mourn, yes, but not excessively,” preferring instead that they celebrate her life with “prayers and lighthearted moments.
- “Celebrate me with prayers, lunch, or dinner afterwards. Share some jokes about me and laugh. Make merriment, and then go about your business. If my friends want to celebrate me, they should do so while I am alive, so that I can enjoy it with them, not when I am gone and have no idea about this. That is me Onyeka Onwenu.”
Onwenu sold millions of records and won several awards during her active recording years in the 80s and 90s, creating hits like ‘One Love’, You and I, Ekwe, Alleluya, Bia Nulu, Iyogogo as well as Wait For Me and Choices (Duets with Sunny Ade).
Born January 31, 1952 and fondly called ‘Elegant Stallion’ by the entertainment press, Onyeka was also an actress, human rights activist, social activist, journalist and politician.
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