Veteran Nigerian singer, songwriter, and actress, Ms Onyeka Onwenu passes on at 72. Ms Onwenu reportedly died on the evening of 30th July 2024, at the Reddington Hospital, Lagos after she slumped after playing at the birthday party of Mrs. Stella Okoli. An eyewitness who was at the party confirmed the sad news to TheNiche. “It is very sad. Onyeka Onwenu just performed at the birthday of Mrs. Stella Okoli today (Tuesday, July 30, 2024), and after performing, she slumped. “She was taken to Reddington Hospital and she couldn’t make it,” the unnamed eyewitness told the newspaper.
Born 31st January 1952, the late singer turned politician and rights activist who was dubbed “The Elegant Stallion” by the Nigerian press, was at a time the chairperson of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture.
In 2013, she was appointed the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Women Development.
She will be remembered for her numerous songs, among them, “Wait for Me” which she sang with Juju maestro, King Sunny Ade.
There has not been official confirmation from her family at the time of filing this report.
In a reflection shared three years ago, veteran Nigerian singer and actress Onyeka Onwenu revealed her wishes for how she would like to be remembered and buried.
“Do it quickly, quietly, and privately,” Onwenu wrote in an opinion piece on Premium Times in 2021, emphasizing that her burial should be devoid of unnecessary fanfare.
She urged her loved ones to “mourn, yes but not excessively,” and to instead focus on celebrating her life with prayers and light-hearted moments.
“Celebrate me with prayers, lunch, or dinner afterward. Share some jokes about me and laugh.“Make merriment and then go about your business. If my friends want to celebrate with 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,” she said.