Veteran Afro-Jazz star Manu Dibango passes away after contracting coronavirus

Veteran Afro-jazz star Manu Dibango passed away on March 24 after contracting coronavirus. The 86-year-old Cameroonian was best known for Soul Makossa, his hit from 1972. The veteran is one of the first worldwide stars to die due to COVID-19. Worldwide, more than 380,000 people have been infected and more than 16,000 have died. Over 102,000 have recovered, most of them in China.

Pioneer no more

As per reports, Dibango’s music publisher, Thierry Durepaire the star died early morning on March 24 in the Paris region. The saxophonist was one of the pioneers of Afro-Jazz music with his own unique style which fused funk with traditional Cameroonian music. As per reports, back in 2009, Manu Dibango accused the ‘king of pop’ Michael Jackson of borrowing one of his hooks for two songs that were part of his legendary album ‘Thriller’.

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According to reports, his funeral service will be held in strict privacy and a tribute to his memory will be held at a later date if possible.

Emmanuel N’Djoke Dibango was born on December 12, 1933. He was a musician and songwriter who played the saxophone and vibraphone. As per reports, in his early life, he was a member of the seminal Congolese rumba group, African Jazz, and collaborated with many other musicians. His most famous song, Soul Makossa which was part of the album of the same name contains the lyrics "makossa", which means "(I) dance" in his native tongue.

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As per reports, in 2015 he was honored with the title of Grand Témoin de la Francophonie aux Jeux Olympiques et Paralympiques de Rio 2016 (Special Representative of Francophonia to the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games) by Michaelle Jean, the Secretary General of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie.

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