Music Icon Onyeka Onwenu Dies @ 72 After Party’s Performance

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Legendary Nigerian singer, actress, songwriter, author, human rights and social activist, Onyeka Onwenu, is dead.

Born on 31st January 1952 in Obosi, Anambra State, the iconic journalist, politician, and former X Factor series judge, was 72 years old.

Reports said she died on Tuesday, July 30, 2024 at the Reddington Hospital in Lagos after slumping at the birthday party of Mrs Stella Okoli of Emzor Pharmaceutical.

According to an eyewitness account at the party; “It is indeed very sad. Onyeka Onwenu just performed at the birthday of Mrs Stella Okoli today (Tuesday, July 30, 2024), and after performing, she slumped.

“She was rushed to Reddington Hospital but she couldn’t make it”.

Fondly called ‘Elegant Stallion’ by the Nigerian press, Onyeka was a one-time Chairperson of the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture.

Also in 2013, she was appointed the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD, Abuja by the then President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

She hailed from Arondizuogu town in Ideato North, Imo State, but was raised in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital while growing up

However, as of press time, the family was yet to officially announce the death of Onyeka who will be fondly remembered for her music albums such as ‘In The Morning Light‘ and ‘Dancing In The Sun‘. She also featured in the Half of a Yellow Sun and Lions Heart, among others.

As an NTA employee, Onwenu made an impact as a newsreader and reporter. In 1984, she wrote and presented the internationally acclaimed BBC/NTA documentary “Nigeria: A Squandering of Riches” which became the definitive film about corruption in Nigeria, as well as the intractable Niger Delta agitation for resource control and campaign against environmental degradation in the oil rich region of Nigeria.

She began her recording career in 1981 while still with the NTA, releasing the album, For the Love of You, a pop album which featured an orchestral cover of Johnny Nash’s “Hold Me Tight“, produced by Berkley Jones. Her second album was Endless Life, produced by Sonny Okosun, and included another cover – the Everley Brothers’ “Walk Right Back“. Both records were released under the EMI label.

Onwenu’s first album with Polygram, In The Morning Light, was released in 1984. Recorded in London, it featured the track “Masterplan” written by close friend Tyna Onwudiwe who had previously contributed to Onwenu’s BBC documentary and subsequently sang back-up vocals on the album.

In 1986, she released One Love which contained an updated version of the song “(In the) Morning Light from the previous album. Another song, “You and I“, was re-recorded for the 2001 film Conspiracy starring Nkem Owoh and Onwenu herself.

Onwenu’s first movie role was as Joke, a childless woman who adopts an abandoned baby in Zik Zulu Okafor’s Nightmare. She has since featured in numerous Nollywood movies, and in 2006 she won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in the movie “Widow’s Cot“.

Originally a secular artist, Onyeka made the transition to gospel music in the 90s, and most of her songs are self-penned. Until her passage, she continuously wrote and sang about issues such as health (HIV/AIDS), peace and mutual coexistence, respect for women’s rights, and the plight of children.