back to top
HomeAfricaCongolese Music Hero Aurlus Mabélé Dies From Coronavirus In France

Congolese Music Hero Aurlus Mabélé Dies From Coronavirus In France

Published on

- Advertisement -spot_img

Congolese music star Aurlus Mabélé has died in hospital in France’s capital Paris, aged 67.

Posts on social media from friends and relatives say he died of coronavirus but this is not confirmed.

His fans called him the king of soukous – a high-tempo Congolese dance music popular across Africa.

His daughter, French singer Liza Monet tweeted  on Thursday that her father had died of coronavirus. “I am inconsolable” she wrote.

Fellow member of the supergroup Loketo, Mav Cacharel, also said on his facebook that he had died of coronavirus.

His manager, Jimmy Ouetenou, however, told BBC Afrique that it was not confirmed he died of coronavirus and that he had long-term health problems.

He was admitted to hospital on Thursday and died on the same day.

Mabélé, whose real name is Aurélien Miatsonama, was from Congo-Brazzaville and moved to France in the 1980s.

His hits include the track Embargo.

In the meantime, his coffin will be placed in a burial vault until travel restrictions due to coronavirus are lifted, reports BBC Afrique’s Rose-Marie Bouboutou.

Under his real name Aurélien Miatshonama, Mabélé founded Les Ndimbola Lokole with his friends in Brazzaville and recorded some of the hottest hits that moved the African continent in the 1970s, such as Embargo, Zebola and Waka Waka.

Later, he moved to Paris where he founded another band, Loketo, meaning “hips” in Lingala – the language of most soukous songs, which is widely spoken in western DR Congo and Congo-Brazzaville.

With more than 10 million albums sold over a 30-years of musical career, Aurlus Mabélé took soukous beyond Africa, around the world.bbc

Related

Big Size: Bebe Cool In London For The Break The Chains Album UK Media Tour

After a rigorous and successful tour of Kenya and Tanzania, Bebe Cool, real name...

Regional Stanbic Banks Host Talks On Unlocking EAC Domestic Capital For Infrastructure

Unlocking domestic capital to drive infrastructure development across the East African Community (EAC) is...

Gov’t Hails Stanbic Bank For Revolutionizing the Money Remittances Sector

The Government of Uganda has commended Stanbic Bank for its pioneering efforts in transforming...

Just Deposit and Win Cash: Stanbic Bank Rewards KyaDouble With Supa Dupa Campaign Winners

Stanbic Bank has announced the first batch of winners in its ongoing Kya Double...

More from The Capital Times

Business Boom In Namugongo Ahead Of Martyrs Day

Business has picked up this morning at Namugongo Martyrs shrine according to traders. The...

Minister Kasolo In Hot Soup Over Alleged Orungo Voter Attacks Accused Of Orchestrating Violence Fo Intimidate Opponents in NRM Primaries

A political storm is brewing in Orungo sub-county after shocking allegations emerged linking Uganda’s...

Uganda Adopts Kiswahili As Official Language

Uganda has adopted Kiswahili as an official language, a top government official said on...