Some of the most loved voices in African music never reached 40. Road accidents, illness and violence took them at the height of their fame, and in several cases their biggest songs became bigger after they were gone. These African musicians who died young left catalogues that fans still play every day, and questions that in some cases are still being asked.
Here are ten of them, remembered in the order we lost them.
1. Bella Bellow (Togo, 1945 to 1973), aged 28
Georgette Bellow from Tsévié started singing at the French Cultural Centre in Lomé and built a career that took her far beyond Togo. Her songs included “Blewu”, about patience and life after death, and “Denyigban”, an ode to Togo.
She came home in December 1973 and died the next day in a road accident near Tsévié. She was 28. The central bank of West African states later put her face on the 10,000 CFA franc note, and Togo remembers her every year. Read our Bella Bellow story.
2. Ernesto Djédjé (Côte d’Ivoire, 1948 to 1983), aged 35
The guitarist from Daloa studied in Paris, made his first recording with help from Manu Dibango and then invented a genre: ziglibithy, a highly syncopated mix of Bété roots music and Congolese rumba, played by his band Les Ziglibithiens.
He died suddenly in 1983 of an untreated ulcer at 35, though many people have claimed he was poisoned. See the creator of ziglibithy.
3. Brenda Fassie (South Africa, 1964 to 2004), aged 39
Time magazine called her “the Madonna of the Townships” in 2001. Fans called her MaBrrr. From “Weekend Special” in 1983 to “Too Late for Mama” and “Black President”, her 1990 tribute to Nelson Mandela, she was South Africa’s biggest pop star and one of its most outspoken.
On 26 April 2004 she collapsed at her home in Buccleuch, Gauteng, and slipped into a coma. She died on 9 May 2004, aged 39. Read Brenda Fassie and “Weekend Special”.
4. Lucky Dube (South Africa, 1964 to 2007), aged 43
Lucky Dube recorded 22 albums in 25 years and became Africa’s best-selling reggae artist, winning Best Selling African Musician at the 1996 World Music Awards. He sang about prisons, apartheid and ordinary African lives to audiences around the world.
On 18 October 2007 he was killed by armed robbers in Rosettenville, Johannesburg, shortly after dropping two of his children at their uncle’s house. He was 43. See our Lucky Dube story.
5. Dagrin (Nigeria, 1984 to 2010), aged 25
Oladapo Olaonipekun, known as Dagrin, is credited with paving the way for Yoruba rap in Nigeria. He rose from Meiran in Lagos to become one of the most respected rappers of his generation, and Olamide and Reminisce are among those who cite him as an influence.
He suffered a serious head injury in a road accident and died at Lagos University Teaching Hospital on 22 April 2010, aged 25. His third album, If I Die, was released after his death, and a film about his life, Ghetto Dreamz, followed in 2011.
6. Mowzey Radio (Uganda, 1985 to 2018), aged 33
Moses Ssekibogo was half of Goodlyfe, the duo he formed with Weasel, Jose Chameleone’s brother. Together they made a long run of Ugandan hits, including “Nyambula”, “Magnetic”, “Juice Juicy” and “Bread and Butter”.
He died on 1 February 2018 in Kampala from a blood clot in his brain, caused by injuries from a bar fight in Entebbe days earlier. He was 33.
7. Ebony Reigns (Ghana, 1997 to 2018), aged 20
Priscilla Opoku-Kwarteng burst out with “Kupe” in 2016 and followed with “Poison”, “Sponsor”, “Hustle” and “Maame Hw3”, a song about domestic violence. Fans called her the “90s Bad Gyal”.
On 8 February 2018 she died in a road crash along with her assistant and friend Franklina Kuri and a soldier, Atsu Vondee. It was eight days before her 21st birthday and the day before she was due to start a European tour. Later that year she became the first woman to win Artiste of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards. See every Artiste of the Year winner.
8. DJ Arafat (Côte d’Ivoire, 1986 to 2019), aged 33
Ange Didier Houon started DJing at 14 in Yopougon, Abidjan’s nightlife district, and became the king of coupé-décalé, with hits such as “Jonathan”, “Dosabado” and “Kpangor”. He loved motorcycles and even sang about them on “Moto Moto” in 2019.
On 12 August 2019 he died in hospital in Abidjan after a motorcycle accident. He was 33. Fans filled a stadium in Abidjan to mourn him. Read DJ Arafat and the stadium that sang for him all night.
9. AKA (South Africa, 1988 to 2023), aged 35
Kiernan Forbes, known as AKA or Supamega, was one of the best-selling South African rappers of his era, breaking through with “Victory Lap” from his 2011 debut Altar Ego and following with Levels and Touch My Blood.
On 10 February 2023 he was shot dead outside a restaurant in Durban, together with his friend Tebello Motsoane. He was 35. His final album, Mass Country, came out later that year.
10. MohBad (Nigeria, 1996 to 2023), aged 27
Ilerioluwa Aloba, known as MohBad, made “Ponmo”, “Feel Good” and “KPK (Ko Por Ke)” with Rexxie, which earned three Headies nominations in 2022. He left Naira Marley’s Marlian Records that year.
He died on 12 September 2023, aged 27, after being treated for an infection by an unlicensed nurse, who was later arrested. His death led to an arrest and public calls for answers. His song “Peace” went to number one on Apple Music Nigeria in the days that followed.
Remembering African musicians who died young
Several names here, Bella Bellow, Ernesto Djédjé, DJ Arafat, created or defined whole styles before they were 35. Others, such as Ebony Reigns and MohBad, were just getting started. What their stories share is that the music outlived them. Their songs are still being discovered by fans who were too young to hear them the first time.
