Entertainment
Daddy Lumba dies at 60
Ghana’s highlife music maestro, Charles Kwadwo Fosu, popularly known as Daddy Lumba was reported dead on Saturday, July 26, at the Bank Hospital in Accra.
Sources close to the family confirmed that the highlife maestro was admitted days earlier and died at dawn on Saturday.
In an official statement issued by the family through their legal representatives, Baba Jamal & Associates, they described Daddy Lumba as more than just a musician.
In the statement, he was described as a cultural icon whose voice and lyrics left a deep imprint on Ghana’s soul.
“Daddy Lumba was more than a musician; he was a cultural icon whose music touched countless lives.”
“His soulful voice provided the soundtrack to our love stories and his poignant lyrics captured the poetry of our struggles, dreams and resilience.”
Daddy Lumba (born 29 September 1964) is a Ghanaian singer. He was born in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
In the early 1980s, he debuted on the highlife scene with his massive hit “Yeeye Aka Akwantuo Mu” with Nana Acheampong (known together as ‘Lumba Brothers’).
This song depicted the number of Ghanaian immigrants that originally left the country to seek better fortunes abroad but make those temporary homes permanent due to financial, emotional, or other unforeseen hardships.
Daddy Lumba has won several Ghana Music Awards and other excellence awards and continues to appeal to the young and old
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
The Kumasi metropolis was thrown into a state of frenzy last Saturday as thousands of fans flocked the Baba Yara Sports Stadium for Sarkodie’s Rapperholic Concert that climaxed the 2025 Momo Fest.
Despite a heavy rainfall, the event, powered by MTN, drew unprecedented crowds for the month-long initiative to promote financial inclusion, the use of mobile money, and raise awareness on MoMo fraud prevention.
The musical event was preceded by educational roadshows, cashless market fairs, and community engagement activities across the country.
Vendors at the MoMo Cashless Market and Fair, set up within the stadium premises, offered goods and services payable exclusively through mobile money, giving patrons a live demonstration of MoMo’s utility.
The concert, headlined by multiple award-winning rapper Sarkodie, featured performances from several high-profile Ghanaian artistes including Medikal, Kofi Kinaata, Donzy, Kweku Smoke, and Efya.
But the appearance of Shatta Wale, who joined Sarkodie on stage, took the excitement a notch higher as it marked a rare public collaboration between the two top acts.
The event would go into the history books as one of the largest music gatherings in Kumasi and a fitting conclusion to a festival that sought to blend innovation with entertainment.
Funeral rites for the late Ghanaian music icon, Charles Kwadwo Fosu, affectionately known as Daddy Lumba, will be held on December 6 at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.
Later in the evening of December 6, there will be a DL cocktail party at the Rattray Park, which will feature top musicians in the country.
Announcing the funeral arrangements on behalf of the family, former Manhyia North Member of Parliament, Collins Owusu Amankwa, said the decision was reached after consultations with Manhyia, government, and other key stakeholders.
The family cautioned the public to desist from disrespecting the legend on social media by spreading falsehood about his marital status.
Daddy Lumba, 60, passed away on July 26, 2025, at the Bank Hospital in Accra after a short illness.
Following his death, a book of condolence was opened at his East Legon residence for loved ones, friends, colleagues, and fans to pay tribute to his iconic memory.
Subsequently, the government, in collaboration with the Creative Arts Agency, organised a candlelight vigil in his memory at Independence Square in Accra on August 2.
This was later followed by a One Week Observation at the same venue on August 30, which was attended by people from all walks of life.
Born on September 29, 1964, in Nsuta in the Ashanti Region, Daddy Lumba started his music career at a young age. He later joined the Lumba Brothers alongside Nana Acheampong in Germany before launching a solo career.
With about 32 albums and over 200 songs to his credit, Daddy Lumba thrilled the world with classic hits such as “Aben Wo Ha,” “Yentie Obiaa,” “Playboy,” “Theresa,” “Sika Asem,” “Mensei Da,” “Makra Mo,” and many others.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
