Veteran highlife musician, Chief Mike Ejeagha, is dead.
The revered storyteller and folklore icon passed away on Friday evening around 8pm at the 32 Garrison Hospital in Enugu after battling a prolonged illness. He was aged 95.
A family source who confirmed the development to Punch on Saturday said, “Papa died peacefully yesterday evening. He had been in and out of the hospital for some time now. We take solace in the full life he lived and the legacy he left behind.
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Ejeagha, whose music carved a unique niche in the Nigerian highlife genre through rich Igbo proverbs and oral traditions, was a household name from the 1960s and gained even wider popularity on radio in the 1980s.
Nicknamed “Gentleman,” Ejeagha’s contribution to Nigerian music spanned over six decades, influencing generations of musicians and cultural enthusiasts with his philosophical lyrics and melodic storytelling.
His death marks the end of an era for traditional highlife lovers and the cultural heritage he championed.
Details surrounding funeral arrangements are yet to be made public.
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