Posted by By Victor Akande on
BARELY a month after the demise in quick succession of some top Nigerian music icons, among them, Sunny Okosun and Steve Rhodes, the death of highlife super star, Sunday Oliver Akanite a k a Oliver De Coque, has hit the music industry again.
BARELY a month after the demise in quick succession of some top Nigerian music icons, among them, Sunny Okosun and Steve Rhodes, the death of highlife super star, Sunday Oliver Akanite a k a Oliver De Coque, has hit the music industry again.
Aged 61, the Anambra state born famous singer, last spotted at the Nigerian Music Awards (NMA) in Owerri, was reported to have died 5pm on Friday June 20 at Jolad Hospital , Gbagada, Lagos.
His son, Darlington confirmed the father's death to journalists.
Chief Tony Okoroji, lead organizer of the NMA who further confirmed the situation through the deceased daughter, Uju, expressed his deep sorrow, saying he was shocked to the marrows at the news of the death of the musician.
'How could I have known that I was seeing the Highlife superstar, Oliver De Coque for the last time when I saw him on his way from Sam Mbakwe Airport Owerri back to Lagos after being one of the truly sparkling stars at the recent NMA Awards held in Imo?" Okoroji said He was billed to perform on Sunday 24th May at the NMA Star Parade at Dan Anyiam Stadium Owerri, but according Okoroji, the deceased called in the morning from his Concorde Hotel room to say to me that he was not feeling
very well and would need to travel to Lagos to see his doctor."
"Two days earlier, Chief Oliver De Coque was a live wire aboard NMA Soul Flight 101 which left MMA 2 to Owerri. He received a resounding applause from his colleagues for his great performance aboard the flight and joined in the great camaraderie that was present throughout the celebration in Imo State," Okoroji recalled. "A day earlier, we were together at the palace of His Royal Highness , Eze C.I. Ilomuanya, Chairman of the South East Council of Traditional Rulers. The Eze who is a great admirer of the arts had received us with great aplomb. Several times, since then, we have spoken on the phone and Chief Oliver had said to me how much he enjoyed himself in Imo and how much he appreciated the NMA Live Time Achievement Award with which he was honoured in Owerri. We had also exchanged views about the situation in PMAN and what we could both do to restore the association to its past glory."
He pointed out that for several decades, Oliver De Coque has been an exceptional ambassador of the music profession, a consummate artiste with a distinct personality and style with which he has completely dominated each and every arena in which he has performed. With his sonorous voice and his unique guitar style, Oliver De Coque has thrilled generations of music lovers with evergreen songs like ‘Identity', Mbiri kam Mbiri, Peoples Club, among others.
Okoroji also said "Oliver De Coque was a great Nigerian but an Igbo man to the core while pressing the hope that the governors of the five states of the South East will join hands in giving a befitting burial to the "Big Masquerade".