Suddenly, the beat stopped at 72 for legendary singer, songwriter and actress, Onyeka Onwenu, popularly known as ‘The Elegant Stallion’, she reportedly died on Tuesday evening, July 30 at the Reddington Hospital, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The celebrated music icon was said to have slumped at the hospital where she was rushed to after falling ill during a performance at the birthday party of a friend, Mrs. Stella Okoli, Nigerian pharmacist, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and Chief Executive Officer of Emzor Pharmaceutical Company.
Her sophomore album In The Morning Light was released under the imprint of Polygram. Recorded in London, it featured the track Masterplan written by close friend, the late Tyna Onwudiwe, who had previously contributed to her BBC documentary – Nigeria: A Squandering of Riches – and subsequently sang back-up vocals on the album.
And in 1989, she recorded the popular duet Choices, which centres on ‘consent and birth control’ with the juju maestro King Sunny Ade . The record, a stunningly bold move in Nigeria has remained largely conservative decades after. “People often described her as being something of a tough nut. I’ll say this: she was even harder on herself. She pushed herself hard and expected the same from others. She was more than a client; she was my big sister and heroine,” Ed Keazor, a lawyer and historian, who knew Onwenu for more than two decades and represented her in the mid-1990s
As a politician, Onwenu contested twice to become the Local Council Chairman of her Local Government, Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party , and lost at both attempts, but was appointed Chairperson of Imo State Council for Arts and Culture by former Governor Ikedi Ohakim.
According to the Director General/Chief Executive, the Musical Copyright Society Nigeria Ltd/Gte , Mayowa Ayilaran, for and on behalf of the members, Board and Management of the CMO, the news of Onyeka Onwenu’s death came to “us at the Musical Copyright society Nigeria as a very rude shock and sad. Onyeka has since the 1980s been in the forefront of the struggle for a just, rewarding and enriching copyright system.
“Onyeka will never brook any shady deal from any quarter or body, no matter how close she may appear to be with that person. She would also not shy away from admitting and apologising for any mistake or perceived wrong she might have made,” Ayilaran said. “She, of cause, later fully returned to MCSN. Not for what she can personally benefit, but for what every musician should benefit. Her WhatsApp message to me on February 26, 2024 read thus: “… I understand that we are still fighting a battle and that these short notices serve a purpose. Hopefully at some point, we would not need to worry about this.
“May the Almighty God grant the repose of her gentle soul and also the grace to be part of the ‘Angelic Voices’ in Paradise. May God grant her immediate family and the music family that she left behind the fortitude to bear this great loss.”Before flagging, please keep in mind that Disqus does not moderate communities. Your username will be shown to the moderator, so you should only flag this comment for one of the reasons listed above.
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