The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said that the death of highlife musician, Julius Aremu Olusanya Ekemode, popularly known as Orlando Julius, has robbed the music industry of another trailblazing legend and the nation of another giant star.
Orlando died on Thursday night despite no sign of illness.
Mohammed, in a statement issued in Lagos on Friday by Segun Adeyemi, Special Assistant to the President (Media) Office of the Minister of Information and Culture Lagos, described the late Orlando Julius as an all-rounder in his field, noting that he made his mark as a singer, songwriter, saxophonist and performer.
“Despite a larger than life image, he remained a decent gentleman and a good family man. His passion for music was unparalleled, hence he excelled in his chosen field.
“By dint of hard work, he and others like him laid the foundation and helped to nurture Afrobeat to global prominence,” he said, adding: “It was, therefore, most fitting that he lived long enough to witness the moment in which Nigerian music has taken the world by storm.”
Mohammed urged the family of the late music legend to take solace in the good and remarkable life of their patriarch and prayed for repose to the soul of the departed.
