By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The death of legendary Reggae musician, Majekodunmi Fasheke, otherwise known as Majek Fashek, has been described as a huge loss to the creative industry in Nigeria.
The rain maker, as he was fondly called following his late 80s hit single, Send Down the Rain, breathed his last on Tuesday in New York, one of his most loved cities in the world, after a battle with an illness.
While mourning him, the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, said the demise of the global music icon has left a big hole in the showbiz sector, saying the sad incident also happened at a time the industry has taken a hit from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by Mr Segun Adeyemi, the Special Assistant to the Minister on Media, Mr Mohammed said, “One of the best tributes we can pay to Majek Fashek is to do everything we can to ensure the rebound of the industry, to which he gave so much, from its present state, occasioned by the effects of the pandemic.”
The Minister said the late Reggae star “blazed the trail not only for today’s reggae artists but for the entire generation of musicians in the country.”
“Makej Fashek will particularly be remembered for his ground-breaking album, Prisoner of Conscience, which featured timeless songs like Send Down The Rain, Redemption Song and Afrikans Keep Your Culture.”
“Long after his demise, Majek Fashek’s voice will continue to echo across space and time, thanks to those iconic songs,” the Minister was further quoted as saying in the statement.
While further describing Majek Fashek as an archetypal musician, who was not just a singer but also a song writer and a guitarist, he expressed his condolences to his family, friends and fans as well as to the entire creative industry, praying to God to grant repose to his soul and comfort his family.
