Veteran Nigerian singer, songwriter, and actress, Ms Onyeka Onwenu, has passed away. Ms Onwenu reportedly died on Tuesday evening at the Reddington Hospital in Lagos after collapsing at the birthday party of Mrs Stella Okoli.

An eyewitness at the party confirmed the sad news to TheNiche. “It is very sad. Onyeka Onwenu had just performed at Mrs Stella Okoli’s birthday party today (Tuesday, 30 July 2024), and after performing, she collapsed. She was taken to Reddington Hospital but could not be revived,” the unnamed eyewitness told the newspaper.

Born on 31 January 1952, the late singer turned politician and rights activist, dubbed “The Elegant Stallion” by the Nigerian press, was at one time the chairperson of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture. In 2013, she was appointed the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Women Development. She will be remembered for her numerous songs, among them “Wait for Me,” which she sang with Juju maestro King Sunny Ade.

There has been no official confirmation from her family at the time of filing this report.