By Vanessa Obioha
Iconic highlife musician, , Victor Abimbola Olaiya, is dead.
Olaiya died at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) after a brief illness. He was aged 89.
Managing Director of Evergreen Music Company Ltd, Bimbo Esho, who broke the news of the death of the highlife music legend on Facebook Wednesday, said he left a big vacuum in the Niigerian music industry
Esho said, “The entire music world wishes to announce the death of a legend of highlife music, one of the last men standing, the last of the originals, Dr. Victor Abimbola Olaiya OON… We pray that the soul of the Doyen of highlife music finds repose with his creator while wishing the family and entire music community the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss.”
“He was one of the last of the originals. He used his Stadium Hotel as a base to support the growth of music in Nigeria as many of the popular acts today got popular using his base,” Esho said.
She added that the legend known for his popular songs such as ‘Baby Mi Da (Baby Jowo)’ contributed “immensely to the growth of highlife music in Nigeria and Ghana. His songs will continue to remain evergreen in our hearts.”
Tributes have been pouring in for the deceased on Twitter and Instagram.
