Nigerian music legend Majek Fashek is dead.

Majek Fashek Passes away, aged 57. The Nigerian music icon Majekodunmi Fasheke was a singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was best known in his home country for the 1988 album Prisoner of Conscience, which included the multiple award-winning single “Send Down the Rain.

Last year, Fashek who struggled with drug addiction was rumoured dead but his manager quelled the rumours by confirming his critical health condition. Billionaire Femi Otedola pledged to cover his medical bills.

His 1991 release So Long for Too Long, which carried a strong political and pan-African message gained Majek Fashek acclaim across Africa. The song was a call for Africans to rise up, both in the continent and those in the diaspora.

Fashek’s fame peaked in 1988 when he released the album ‘Prisoner of Conscience’. It fetched him six PMAN awards including ‘Song of the Year’ for the song ‘Send Down the Rain’.

Unlike musicians of his time who were drawn to indigenous hybrids such as Juju and Fuji, Fashek was recognised as one of the original Nigerian artists to be drawn to the music of the Caribbean, specifically reggae.