Congolese music star Aurlus Mabélé on Thursday died in hospital in France’s capital Paris, aged 67.
Mabélé was admitted to hospital on Thursday and died on the same day, according to relatives.
His relatives and friends claim he died after being infected by coronavirus although hospital officials are yet to confirm that.
Mabélé’s daughter, French singer Liza Monet said in a tweet that her father had died of coronavirus.
“I am inconsolable”, Monet said as she mourns her father regarded as the king of soukous – a high-tempo Congolese dance music popular across Africa.
Mon papa est mort ce matin du coronavirus … Merci d’honoré sa mémoire . C’est une grande légende du Soukouss que le peuple congolais perd aujourd’hui . Je suis inconsolable et effondrée . Mon papa que j’aime tant … Aurlus Mabele …
— . (@LizaMOfficiel) March 19, 2020
Mabélé’s supergroup Loketo group member, Mav Cacharel, also said on Facebook his friend died of coronavirus.
Mabélé’s real name is Aurélien Miatsonama and hails from Congo-Brazzaville. He however moved to France in the 1980s.
Jimmy Ouetenou, Mabélé’s manager was reported by BBC Afrique as saying that he had long-term health problems.
Mabélé is not the only prominent African to have died from the coronavirus.
Rose Marie Compaoré, a vice-president in the national assembly of Burkina Faso also died this week.
She was diabetic and died at the age of 62 after suffering complications from the infection.
Source: Africafeeds.com
