Popular Nigerian musician, Olanrewaju Fasasi, popularly known as Sound Sultan, is dead.
His death was announced in a statement Sunday morning by his family.
He was 44.
The family, in a statement, said Sound Sultan died on Sunday of Angioimmunoblastic T-cell Lymphoma.
Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which is a group of related malignancies (cancers) that affect the lymphatic system (lymphomas).
His relative, Kayode Fasasi, who signed the statement, said Sound Sultan passed on after a “hard fought battle” with the ailment.
His brother and musician, Baba Dee, in an Instagram post on Sunday written in Arabic, said: “To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.”
He is survived by a wife, three children and his siblings.
In May, several reports that the talented singer was diagnosed with throat cancer surfaced online.
The report also claimed the singer was already in the United States receiving treatment.
The family didn’t respond to the reports. However, Sound Sultan would later break his silence on Instagram.
He stated that he would tell everyone the true story himself when the time comes.
The singer posted a picture of himself with his kids and felicitated with Muslims around the world on the celebration of Eid al-Fitr.
He said: “Eid Mubarak to my lovely Muslim brothers and sisters. May Almighty Allah accept our fast as an act of Ibadah.
”Instagram! This is not the one with ram. I must not ignore the massive show of love. Thank you all. I will tell you my story myself. It will be true THEN not false.”
The fans of the iconic singer have been praying for his recovery following reports that he had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy in the U.S.
Since the news of his ailment came to the fore, friends and fans of the singer took to social media to wish him well.
His last Instagram post was on June 3.
Sound Sultan’s death has no doubt thrown the Nigerian music and entertainment industry into mourning. He was one of Nigeria’s finest musicians who was loved by his colleagues and fans alike.
Since the news broke on Sunday morning, Nigerian entertainers have taken to Instagram to pay glowing tributes to one of their own.
