In a poignant reflection shared three years ago, veteran Nigerian singer and actress Onyeka Onwenu articulated her wishes for how she would like to be remembered and buried.
The beloved icon, known for her powerful voice and activism, passed away on Tuesday night at Reddington Hospital in Lagos after collapsing at Mrs Stella Okoli’s birthday party.
In an opinion piece published in Premium Times in 2021, Onwenu expressed her preference for a modest and private farewell. She wrote:
“Do it quickly, quietly, and privately,” emphasising that her burial should be free from unnecessary fanfare.
She requested that her loved ones “mourn, yes, but not excessively,” and instead focus on celebrating her life with “prayers and lighthearted moments.”
Onwenu’s illustrious career spanned music, film, advocacy, journalism, and politics.
She held various roles, including chairing the Imo State Council for Arts and Culture and judging on the X Factor series.
Her influential music includes hits like ‘One Love’ and ‘You and I’, and she authored the autobiography ‘My Father’s Daughter’.
She further expressed her wishes in her 2021 reflection:
“Celebrate me with prayers, lunch, or dinner afterwards. Share some jokes about me and laugh. Make merriment, and then go about your business.
“If my friends want to celebrate me, they should do so while I am alive, so that I can enjoy it with them, not when I am gone and have no idea about this. That is me Onyeka Onwenu.”
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