Alhaji Love Azeez Oladeji, the oldest active Fuji musician, has died at 81.
According to reports, the veteran musician passed away on Wednesday at his home in Lagos State after a short illness.
The General Secretary of the Fuji Musicians Association of Nigeria, Adekunle Abiodun, confirmed his death.
Abiodun shared the news on Facebook and expressed his sadness over the loss of the respected Fuji artist.
“So sad, the oldest FUJI MUSICIAN, ALHAJI LOVE AZEEZ OLADEJI, gave up the ghost this evening after a brief illness,” he wrote.
Abiodun also called the late singer “Baba wa,” a term often used to honour respected elders in the Fuji music community.
Love Azeez was known as one of the pioneers and longest-serving artists in Fuji music, a genre that remains one of Nigeria’s most influential traditional music styles.
For many fans of traditional Yoruba music and people in the Fuji music industry, his death feels like the end of an era.
In accordance with Islamic customs, the late musician was buried on Thursday, June 18.
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Family members, associates and members of the Fuji music community were said to have attended the burial prayers and interment.
His passing adds to the list of notable losses recorded in Nigeria’s entertainment industry in recent months.
