Nigerian music legend and raggae king, Majekodunmi Fasheke, popularly known as Majek Fashek, is dead.
He died on Monday at the age of 57.
His death was confirmed by his manager, Omenka Uzoma, on the late singer’s official instagram handle.
“Today been having pressure calls, well it is true that African the African no.1 legenddary icon has gone to be with his creator”.
The “Send Down the Rain” crooner was born in Benin City to an Edo mother and a Ijesha father, but identifies with his Benin roots.
In the early eighties Fashek, who at the time went by the stage name Rajesh Kanal, joined the group Jastix with McRoy Gregg, and Drummer Black ‘Rice. They were best known as the in-house band on the show Music Panorama on NTA Benin, and toured with fellow reggae group The Mandators.
In 1988, shortly after Jastix disbanded Fashek, who now used the name Majek Fashek, signed with Tabansi Records and began a solo career by releasing the album Prisoner of Conscience and quickly became Nigeria’s top reggae artist after the song “Send Down The Rain” became the most popular song of the year, and in 1989 he won six PMAN awards for “Song of the Year”, “Album of the Year”, and “Reggae Artist of the Year” among others.
Fashek was married to Rita Fashek who inspired the song “Without You”; the couple had four children together, but have since divorced. In 2015, it was revealed that Fashek was bankrupt and battling drug addiction. After admitting that he needed help, he was admitted into a drug rehabilitation centre in Abuja, but has since recovered, and returned to music.
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