One of Nigeria’s most popular highlife musicians, Stephen Oladipupo Olaore Owomoyela, popularly known as Orlando Owoh, has died, the local press reported Thursday. The musician, who was over 70, died on Tuesday at the General Hospital in the commercial city of Lagos, where he had been on admission, following complications resulting from stroke. “He was until his illness and eventual death, the toast of highlife lovers, owing to his romantic voice, philosophical lyrics and energetic stage performances,” the Nation newspaper reported. It quoted Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola as expressing shock at Orlando’s death. “The passage of Dr. Orlando Owoh, as he was popularly known, at this time has left a big vacuum which would be very difficult to fill,” the governor was quoted as saying. Owoh established his band – Orlando Owoh and his Omimah Band – in 1958, against the wishes of his parents. Since releasing his first album in 1960, his profile has continued to rise until his demise, with his unique voice and his distinct genre, described as a fusion of ‘Highlife and Juju’. Overall, he was credited with more than 45 albums.
