Legendary Reggae musician, Majekodunmi Fasheke, popularly known as Majek Fashek, has passed away at the age of 57. The singer is known for popular for hits such as Send Down the Rain, So Long for Too Long, Little patience among others.
His manager, Omenka Uzoma confirmed his death while speaking to BBC. According to him, the singer died in his sleep in New York. On Instagram, Mr Uzoma said it was “a time for us all to celebrate his achievements, and not mourn”.
Majek Fashek had been sick for some time but the cause of his death is still unknown. In the course of his music career, he worked with stars like Jimmy Cliff, Tracy Chapman and Snoop Dogg. He mentioned Bob Marley as his major influence for delving into Reggae. He promoted reggae music genre in the 1980s when highlife and juju were the in-thing.
His 1991 globally acclaimed song- So Long for Too Long had strong political and pan-African message. He also wrote the song Free Africa, Free Mandela, at the time of imprisonment of calling for the leader of the African National Congress in South Africa, Nelson Mandela. In recent years, there were reports that the musician’s health was deteriorating. In 2015, he spent some time in a drug rehabilitation centre in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.