Teen Nollywood actress, Regina Daniels has taken to her Instagram page to mourn legendary Raggae artiste, Ras Kimono who died yesterday in Lagos.
The 16-year-old said his death made her realize that death is real. She wrote;
“I never knew that death is real until today
Uncle rasky you took me as your child, advised me, and always corrected me….. without knowing that death was around the corner
You said to me, my daughter am your number one fan keep doing great…… it breaks me so much that you are gone. I pray you rest Rest in peace
Ur legacy lives on”
Ras Kimono who died at the Lagoon Hospital, Ikoyi, Lagos, recently celebrated his 60th birthday.
He is survived by his wife, and daughter, Oge Kimono, also a musician.
Born Ekeleke Elumelu Onwubuya on May 9, 1958, Kimono who hailed from Delta State released his debut album with his Massive Dread Reggae Band, ‘Under Pressure’ while signed to Premier Music in 1989. He had started his musical career as a student of Gbenoba Secondary School, Agbor, in present day Delta State and later joined a group called Jastix Reggae Ital along with Majek Fashek, Amos McRoy and Black Rice Osagie.
Known not to shy away from political activism, Ras Kimono who once said he had lived as a vegetarian for 37 years, used his songs to address socio-political situations in the country.
With hits like ‘Under pressure’, ‘Rasta get jail’, ‘Rhumba style’, the album catapulted Ras Kimono to stardom. It set the tone as he released more songs and started touring Africa, Europe and the U.S.A. He also won several awards, including the Nigerian Music Awards, and Fame Music Awards.
His death came as a shock to friends like Chief Tony Okoroji, Juju music maestro, Sir Shina Peters who had joined several others for a meeting to discuss his burial plans at the time of this report.