Legendary Nigerian singer, song writer, and actress, Onyeka Onwenu, is dead.
Onwenu, the multifaceted artist, slumped and died shortly after performing at a birthday party in Lagos.
In a shocking turn of events, the music maestro affectionately known as the ‘Elegant Stallion,’ according to sources, died at the Reddington Hospital in Lagos after collapsing at a private function.
According to sources close to the family, Onyeka Onwenu was attending a friend’s birthday party when she took to the stage to perform. Immediately after her performance, she returned to her seat and suddenly slumped.
Emergency services were quickly called, and she was rushed to the hospital, in Victoria Island, where she was later pronounced dead. The cause of death is yet to be confirmed.
The source who spoke on the condition of anonymity said: “It is very sad. Onyeka Onwenu just performed at the birthday party of Mrs. Stella Okoli of Emzor Pharmaceuticals this night, and after performing, she slumped. She was taken to Reddington Hospital but couldn’t make it.”
The 72-year-old music icon, who kept her personal life private, was formerly married to Mr. Ogunlende, a Yoruba Muslim, with whom she bore two children, Tijani Ogunlende and Ibrahim Ogunlende.
Onyeka Onwenu was a multifaceted artist whose career spanned over four decades. She was not only a renowned singer and songwriter but also an actress, journalist, and politician.
Onwenu will be remembered for her music albums, such as “In The Morning Light” and “Dancing In The Sun”. Her music, which blended genres including highlife, reggae, and pop, often addressed social and political issues. Some of her most popular songs include “One Love,” “Iyogogo,” “Ekwe, and “Wait for Me,” which she sang with Juju meastro, King Sunny Ade.”
As an actress, she won the Africa Movie Academy Award (AMAA) for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in the movie “Women’s Cot.” She also featured in “Half of a Yellow Sun” and “Lions Heart,” among others.
Beyond her musical career, Onyeka Onwenu was known for her political activism and involvement. Her activism saw her protest against her former employer, the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), over their refusal to pay royalties on her songs. After the then-director general Ben Murray-Bruce blacklisted her videos and her person from the network, she embarked on a hunger strike outside the federal government-owned broadcaster.
Onwenu’s activism attracted widespread support, forcing NTA to resolve to settle the issue amicably but denied barring Onwenu from appearing on their channels.
As a politician, she was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who unsuccessfully ran twice to become the Local Council Chairman of Ideato North local government.
She served as the chairperson of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture and was appointed Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Women Development.
In March 2024, Onyeka Onwenu revealed that she was putting together a film that would focus on her experiences spanning several decades in the music industry. She had expressed her excitement to share her personal story of how Nigerian music has changed over time.
She had also talked about plans to collaborate with up-and-coming musicians to release her iconic songs in a compilation of rebranded songs expected to be released later this year.
It is not yet known if the feature documentary or remix of her iconic songs was concluded before her death.
There has not been official confirmation from the deceased’s family as of the time of filing this report.
